The Word No One Wants Us to Write, And Why That Matters to Everyone in a Law Firm

ALM’s Gina Passarella and Patrick Fuller respond to commentary over their use of the word “nonlawyer” in an article on law firm management. The article references a joint ALM/Calibrate study on Revenue Enabler compensation.

 Innovation shouldn’t be stalled because change management is hard. In a study ALM Intelligence conducted in 2020 with Calibrate, only 6% of respondents indicated that their marketing and business development department contained a professional with “innovation” in their title. While having a professional with an innovation title doesn’t preclude change from happening, it does tend to speak more about the precedent-based culture of law frms to embrace an innovative mindset, both internally and externally.

For a business that prides itself on talent as the main asset, it seems there are times when some talent isn’t viewed with that same investment mindset. In the same Calibrate/ALM Intelligence study from 2020, only 11% of respondents indicated the ability to generate business directly with clients.

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