Many law firms invest significant time defining values around collaboration, teamwork, and shared ownership. Yet those same firms often struggle to see the behaviours they want emerge in practice. The reason is rarely a lack of intent. It is structural.

As law firm partnerships head into another remuneration season, Moray McLaren reflects on why disputes about pay are rarely really about money, and what partner reviews reveal about trust, judgment, and governance inside the firm

At 2025 Leadership Circle hosted in Toronto, a selected group of over 100 law firm leaders explored how law firm can navigate today’s inflection point — where technology, talent, and trust intersect

This is the introduction to a three-part series by Moray McLaren, Professor at the LawAhead Centre on the Legal Profession, IE Law School, and consultant with Lexington Partners, on the two-tier partnership system many law firms are now employing

Legal departments are undergoing significant change, though much of it remains invisible as it takes place behind the scenes. invisible as the work takes place behind the scenes. Artificial intelligence is a major driver of this transformation. As legal departments push forward on their transformation journey, they are increasingly confronted by an uncomfortable question: Is the traditional legal service model still fit for purpose?

Partner Performance. As law firms get more sophisticated in evaluating lawyers and partners, there is a growing frustration amongst leadership about underperformers (in particular senior associates or junior partners) as they are the future of the firm.

The challenge for law firms is to take these seven levers, reflect on them, and implement changes that drive sustainable profitability. Although profitability is a key concern across all businesses, it can be particularly complex in law firms where factors such as recording hours, pricing models, partner compensation structures, and operational efficiency require careful strategy and ongoing management. The following Podcast series, led by Lexington's Katie Dignan and Paul Br

Reviewing and adapting the remuneration model in law firm partnerships is a highly sensitive issue.

What are the major changes that are we seeing in law firms around the world on what is expected from partners?

The success criteria for law firms have typically been internal not external and heavily weighted towards financial factors such as...

Es un factor clave para los despachos, pero el problema está en que actualmente no todos lo miden, ni tienen un modelo claro para analizarlo. Moray McLaren y Mari Cruz Taboada comentan en el reportaje del diario El Confidencial ( España). Click on the image to read the full article.

After Mexican Elite firm   Gonzalez Calvillo   and   Perez Llorca   revealed their merger plans on 16th April 2024,   the Legal Media got the initial market reactions from international legal experts.   Mari Cruz Taboada , partner at   Lexington Consultants , comments at Latin Lawyer that whilst Pérez-Llorca’s launch in Mexico represents a “natural next step” in the firm´s growth strategy, “opening through a merger was less expected.” She explains that the Iberian outfit has

In this podcast recording,   Zulon Begum , Partner at CM Murray and leading international law firm management consultant,  Moray McLaren  Partner at Lexington Consultants, discuss new research by the IBA’s Law Firm Management Committee (LFMC) which explores recent trends in partner profit sharing, remuneration and reward. Key discussion points from this podcast recording: Is there such a thing as a ‘perfect partner’ and how do you define them? Gaining a better definition of p

Doing nothing is not an option. What do law firm leaders need to ask themselves? The impact of AI on legal services and the immediate leadership challenges were discussed during Lexington’s most recent #LeadershipCircle in London. The future is still unclear but legal services has reached a definite inflexion point. There are no simple answers and each firm has to work out their own way forward. Doing nothing is not an option. A group of 41 especially invited law firm leaders

Harvard Law School has published new research by Moray McLaren exploring recent trends in partner profit sharing, remuneration and rewards. The survey of 106 law firms, finds a continuing shift away from traditional Eat What You Kill and Lockstep approaches. Four priorities were highlighted: Gaining a better definition of partner contribution with an increasing adoption of non-financial performance indicators Introducing clearer guard rails within tighter performance bands Pr

Lexington Leadership Circles Lexington hosted three Leadership Circles at the IBA Annual Conference 2023 in Paris. A series of...

Paul Browne at Lexington Consultants, introduces the key aspects to consider when moving from a partnership structure to a corporate culture.

Watch Lexington Consultants video-podcast series (Part 1) on Client Management and Development where Katie Dignan, Mari Cruz Taboada and Moray Mclaren explore the challenges that firms have internationally trying to coordinate and institutionalise their business development. Is the challenge linked to the current business model or the nature of a partnership?

Extract presentation by Moray McLaren at the Commonwealth Conference 2023. Will what got us here get us there? How to find meaning and...

El clásico experimento de Solomon Asch sobre el conformismo individual frente a la opinión de grupo, es una excelente manera de comprender la dinámica de muchos de los bufetes de abogados. ( Extracto artículo de Opinión en Expansión Jurídico. Autora: Mari Cruz Taboada) Recientemente escuchaba un interesante podcast sobre el trabajo del psicólogo Solomon Asch donde, con sus experimentos, demuestra que las personas devalúan y rechazan a quienes no se ajustan a sus juicios de va