When speaking with one of my lawyers last week, this was a question that he posed to me – it was not one he had an answer to and he suspects that it may not be possible. At least not in the way that law firms are used to. He said,

It’s not possible anymore, in my opinion, to have those vertical organizations where you have orders coming from the top and where everybody is treated the same way. Because people, if they are in different situations, you cannot treat them the same way if you want to be fair. So you must adapt.

So, how CAN one have a law firm in modern society?

Continue Reading How to be a Law Firm in a Modern Society

Taras Utiralov is the Director of the Ukrainian office for PETERKA & PARTNERS, a Central and Eastern European Law Firm and a member of the International Lawyers Network. In this very special episode, Taras and Lindsay discuss what it’s like to work during a war, leading an office that never missed a day of work, the very real “war/life balance” and what the future looks like. Please do not miss this episode! 

You can listen to the podcast here, or we’ve provided a transcript of the highlights below.…

Continue Reading Law Firm ILN-telligence Podcast | Taras Utiralov, PETERKA & PARTNERS

When I wrote my first blog post on February 26, 2009, I could hardly have imagined where we’d be 14 years later. It would be fun to try to predict, and maybe I’d have gotten some of it right, but I try not to guess at the future.

One of the things I suspect we’d all have gotten right in some form is ChatGPT. I have been loathe to try it for many reasons – I’m not a technophobe, as you can all imagine, nor am I someone who advocates for lawyers to run and try the next big thing. Though, for those of you who have clients who may be using it or dipping their toe in the water, you know I will suggest you get to know it intimately for the usual legal reasons.

Continue Reading Happy 14th Anniversary to Zen & The Art of Legal Networking!

Today, we’re bringing you a special guest post, from one of the ILN’s marketing professionals! Alina Crisu is the PR & Communication Associate with LLPO Law Firm in Cyprus and she’s got a thoughtful post on how to respond to trending topics.

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A topic recently came to my attention that was also brewing in my head: should marketers who work for law firms follow social media topic trends? The answer is simple but the reality is far more complex.

Continue Reading Trending topics…a fool’s errand?

A lot of people I know were happy to see the backside of 2022 (this gal included). But even with the enthusiasm for a new year in our pockets, it can be hard to find the motivation to kickstart our plans and projects as we head back to work and find ourselves facing the same day-to-day grind as before the holidays, as well as a backlog of vacation work and emails to catch up on.

I’ve heard more than one person say that the new year doesn’t really start until February, and with February just around the corner, that feels more true this year than ever – though does anyone else feel like January gets longer every single year?

Continue Reading New Year…Same You? 3 Tips to Make the Most of 2023 BD Efforts

After rigorously pursuing every avenue available to secure recovery of the pending claim in courts in the United States, it became clear to Connor Bifferato of The Bifferato Firm, P.A. that the defendant in his case would have to be pursued in Austria. He had no direction or practical means to proceed, but fortunately, he was referred to Andreas Bauer and Philipp Sebesta of Brauneis Klauser Prändl Rechtsanwälte GMBH through their relationship with Connolly Gallagher, LLP as fellow members of the ILN.

Of his experience, Mr. Bifferato said:

Mr. Bauer and Brauneis Klauser Prändl Rechtsanwälte GMBH have been extremely diligent, clearly knowledgeable and highly experienced legal counsel. They have been more successful in reaching the best results possible than I could have anticipated or even hoped. I cannot strongly enough express my appreciation for Andreas, Philipp and Brauneis Klauser Prändl Rechtsanwälte GMBH. Indeed, I plan to investigate whether ILN membership for a firm the size of my firm would be useful. In all events, I am pleased to recommend Brauneis Klauser Prändl Rechtsanwälte GMBH and ILN at every opportunity.

Thanks to Mr. Bauer and Mr. Sebesta, these substantial contractual claims were diligently pursued in Austria.

On January 10th, the Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession at Georgetown Law and the Thomson Reuters Institute released their 2023 Report on the State of the Legal Market, which seems more relevant than ever as we go into a year of uncertainty. The report confirms this (and I’ll delve into a few specific points), but overall, I’d like to remind readers that we’ve been here before – contractions in the legal industry are nothing new. The good news is that hopefully, firms have learned the lessons of 2008/2009 and haven’t forgotten them. Will there be some casualties? Yes, but that’s the nature of business. And make no mistake – the law is still a business.

Continue Reading State of the Legal Industry: No Need to Panic – We’ve Been Here Before

Vanessa Pantelakis is a partner at WOLPERT RECHTSANWÄLTE PartG mbB a part of the ILN’s German Group. In this episode, Lindsay and Vanessa chat about the mental health crisis that the pandemic has created for women and young girls, and how it has further revealed issues in the legal profession, but how remote working has also helped to create a greater work/life balance in many ways and given lawyers the ability to create better relationships with their clients. Tune in today! 

You can listen to the podcast here, or we’ve provided a transcript of the highlights below.

Continue Reading Law Firm ILN-telligence Podcast |  Vanessa Pantelakis

We’ve now returned from our winter break and I have some news – my family has grown by four paws: the adorable Belgian Malinois mix, Nikko.

Who can resist this face?

Rescuing an older dog with almost no recorded history has its challenges – all I know about Nikko is that his previous owner died tragically and he was found at 52 pounds in a field in Roswell, New Mexico (yes, that Roswell – his paperwork even has a spaceship on it). I’m not a new dog owner – I’ve had dogs growing up, and have been a basset hound owner for 14 years. I definitely don’t recommend getting a Mal if you’re new to dogs, and I’m lucky to have worked with a truly GREAT rescue throughout this entire process.

Continue Reading BD Lessons from Rescuing a Dog

The International Lawyers Network (“ILN”) is so happy to close out the year by officially welcoming our two newest member firms in Slovenia and Germany respectively, Law firm Kavčič, Bračun & Partners, o.p., d.o.o. and Wagner Rechtsanwalts- und Notarkanzlei. Continue Reading ILN Welcomes New Member Firms in Slovenia and Germany