Do You Have Big "Books of Business"?

I do!

They consist of the following:

1.  All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten; and

2.  Mob Rules:  What the Mafia Can Teach the Legitimate Businessman.

Oh yeah, I forgot about this one (you'd be surprised how much business can get done with it).

So if you're like me and you have huge, heavy "books of business," you can apparently get hired by a big firm where nobody will ever try to steal or otherwise claim credit for your personal business books:

Law firms are hiring lawyers who can bring their "book of business," said Matt Gorson, president of Greenberg Traurig, which has offices in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach.

The firm has hired 20 lawyers so far this year, compared with 14 lawyers in 2010.

Other South Florida law firms have been adding to their legal staffs as well.

Holland and Knight has hired 15 lawyers so far in 2011, up from 11 in 2010 at its Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach offices. Morgan Lewis in Miami hired seven lawyers in 2010, and five so far in 2011; that compares with only one lawyer in 2009, said law firm partner Mark Zelek. Bilzin Sumberg in Miami has hired 9 lawyers in the past month alone, according to a spokeswoman.

Even some firms that were hard hit by the recession are adding lawyers. Fort Lauderdale-based Ruden McClosky, which specializes in real estate and land use, has hired seven lawyers in the past four months, according to a spokeswoman for the firm.

Ruden?

Yes, absolutely -- if your books of business are big you should head immediately to Ruden -- just ask Julie Kay!

Ruden To Save Money By Closing Things!

Ruden McClosky has found a sure-fire way to save money, according to the Intrepid One™:  close offices!

Here's how it works -- when you close offices and fire people, you don't have to pay as much out in monthly overhead.

Why didn't Adorno Yoss figure this out?

(Wait a minute, they did.)

Here's the firm-wide email from chief muckety-muck Michael Krul:

I am pleased to provide you with the following confidential update.

Oh boy, that's a guarantee some angry partner will be emailing it around town.

Although we will continue to make sure that we are operating as efficiently as possible, we believe that our staffing level is now appropriate and do not anticipate that the firm will have any need to seek staff reductions in the near future and, hopefully, not for the long term. The inflow of new work is on the rise and our timekeepers are increasing their recorded time. This is a positive sign for improved revenues down the road.

Honey, I have great news!  My boss says "our staffing level is now appropriate" and they don't anticipate "staff reductions in the near future."

Unlike last year, we're going to make it through Hannukah.  Isn't that fantastic?

"Shut up and get me a drink."

How Does "Ruden Yoss" Sound?

 Hey, I'm trying to think outside the box:

Financial troubles at Ruden McClosky are deepening, with the Fort Lauderdale-based firm suspending all capital payouts to former equity shareholders.

In a letter to about 50 to 60 former equity shareholders Saturday, co-managing partners Michael Krul and Carl Schuster said the firm was declaring a "moratorium" on all capital account repayments. The three-paragraph letter stated the firm would review the situation "later in the year."

The survival of the firm has been a subject of open debate for months. Sources at two law firms that were approached said Ruden has been shopping for merger partners.

Aren't the repayments a contractual obligation?  How can you declare a "moratorium" on paying back a debt?

Oh well, I don't do transactional work.

Shortening Law Firm Names -- the Good, the Bad, the Ugly (aka GBU LLP)

I love this consultant-driven trend to shorten law firm names -- you now have venerable institutions with long distinguished histories shortened down to within an inch of their professional lives -- Akerman, Ruden, Gunster etc.

Indeed, if you add an exclamation point you'd have a nice title for a Broadway play -- Akerman! starring Nathan Lane, previews start March 1......and coming this fall Ruden! with Christine Ebersole, tickets available September 1st....

I see the latest to join the name-shortening trend is Fort Lauderdale's Brinkley, Morgan, Solomon, Tatum, Stanley, Lunny & Gordon LLP, now reduced simply to Brinkley Morgan.

Partner Roberta Stanley explains the thinking behind the change:

Stanley joined the Fort Lauderdale law firm 1996, back when at least a half-dozen partner names were stenciled on the door.

But over time as old partners leave and new ones join letterhead, business cards and logo designs have to be redone to reflect the changes. The cycle is never-ending and once again the firm has to reintroduce itself to the community.

So Stanley sought the advice of consultants and feedback from her co-workers. Simplifying, going back to basics was the consensus. The firm name now honors its founder: W. Michael Brinkley, who passed away this past November; and its managing partner, Philip Morgan, who joined the firm when it opened in 1975.

"It's what's in the best interest of everyone," said Stanley. "It's the future, to be recognized with a strong contemporary name." A streamlined website and logo accompanies the streamlined name.

The process became an opportunity for the firm to create a marketing campaign built around the rebranding, says Stanley. The new look and new name is more inviting and memorable, she says. That's important in attracting new talent as well as being transparent for clients.

Revamping the website allowed the firm to refresh attorney bios, ease navigation, and provide information.

Ok, I actually think this is an improvement, but why stop there?

What about "BM" -- it's short, catchy and people immediately know what you're talking about.

(On second thought, Brinkley Morgan is probably a safer choice).

Ruden Still in Growth Mode!

You know how Ruden indicated to The Intrepid One a few weeks ago that it was in growth mode and looking to hire some new associates, but then turned around and fired a bunch of dedicated staffers just in time for the holidays?

Well it looks like that form of "growth" is continuing:

The West Palm Beach office of Shutts & Bowen law firm has announced an end-of year expansion, bringing five new lawyers to the team. The firm has not yet named a fifth lawyer expected to join the practice at the start of 2011.

Among the arrivals are Ruden McClosky top producers real estate lawyer Steven Parson and business litigator Eric Christu. Both join Shutts as partners.

Call me crazy, but nothing shouts GROWTH louder than losing a top producer to a direct competitor.

This is truly Sun Tzu in action.

Well played, sir!

More Layoffs at Ruden -- Happy Hannukah!

I can't think of a better time than the holidays to lay off long term, dedicated workers.

And neither can what's left of Ruden McClosky, according to the intrepid one:

In an interview last week, Krul said the firm is poised to grow and is looking to hire associates. He did not mention any impending layoffs.

Ruden, which was dominated by real estate work, was slammed by the recession, plagued with partner defections and the loss of entire offices, pay cuts and layoffs in the past two years. Ruden partners this year were asked to sign letters of guarantee to renew the firm’s banking line of credit.

The layoffs were announced Thursday morning. Employees were allowed to empty their desks before being ushered out. Ruden gave them severance packages including health insurance, a firm spokesman said.

"Some of these people were very, very senior," said a former lawyer who asked not to be identified. "I thought candidly to do this three weeks before Christmas was pretty terrible."

Ahh, a severance package -- makes a really nice gift under any staffer's Christmas tree.

Did I mention they're looking to hire associates?

Just for that, I'm subjecting you all to The Maccabeats.