Your potential client is in pain, their car is totaled, the medical bills are piling up, and a claims adjuster is calling them relentlessly, trying to get a recorded statement. They do not want a gladiator in a suit; they want a lifeline.
Leaving Wachtell wasn't an easy decision - it's one of the great law firms in the world, and I learned an enormous amount there. But it wasn't about leaving something behind; it was about being intentional about what came next.
The legal profession rewards endurance, precision and control. It also quietly normalizes stress, isolation and overextension. For patent practitioners and other IP lawyers, the pressures are uniquely acute: compressed prosecution deadlines, high-stakes litigation exposure, often unrealistic client-driven budget constraints, regulatory whiplash at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and increasingly complex technologies layered with global filing and prosecution strategy.
This may be the last year that law firms can expect billing rate increases to drive financial stability, according to a new survey of more than 800 senior finance and legal professionals in large firms across North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Technology company BigHand's 2026 finance report suggests that firms can no longer rely on traditional measures of profitability, as clients are demanding more efficiency and predictability amid the increased adoption of artificial intelligence across the legal profession, according to Law.com.
I'm incredibly proud of the firm and what we've accomplished in the last year. We had certainly, the year before, a historic year financially, and this year was also historic in being one of our best financial years in history.
Market forces such as rising attorney salaries, persistent inflation, and unrelenting demand in premium practices are giving firms the confidence to push hourly rates beyond historical norms.
Leading legal departments are shifting from reactive negotiation to proactive pricing design, setting guardrails before rates are proposed rather than responding after the fact. This approach enables departments to establish parameters and expectations upfront, fundamentally changing the negotiation dynamic and improving outcomes.
Lawyers and clients often develop years-long relationships during which clients and lawyers cultivate connections that often transcend the traditional attorney-client framework. During this relationship, clients may ask for favors in the form of favorable billing terms or other advantages that the lawyer is uniquely able to provide. Although it is acceptable to perform such favors for clients, lawyers should not do so under the assumption that it will result in additional work.
Witnesses play a crucial role in personal injury cases, often serving as the backbone of the evidence presented in court. Their testimonies can provide essential context and details that may not be captured through physical evidence alone. In many instances, the accounts of witnesses can corroborate the claims made by the injured party, lending credibility to their narrative. This is particularly important in personal injury cases, where the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff. A strong witness can help
From law firms to in-house legal teams, the rules of value are being rewritten. The question is: Who's ready to lead the change? In the first episode of 2026 for the UpLevel View podcast, Stephanie Corey and Ken Callander sit down with Rita Gunther McGrath, Columbia Business School professor and Wall Street Journal columnist, to talk about how AI is forcing professional services to price outcomes instead of hours.
They don't drive it. They don't manage it. They don't control it. They let it control them. And then one day, they look up and realize discovery closed last week, the client is asking why nobody has taken the key depo, the adjuster wants a status report "by the end of the day," and the partner is asking the question that makes your stomach drop: "Where are we on this file?"
You're getting ready to make a document production to the other side. You're worried though that the other side may use GenAI tools on the documents that don't ensure they are protected from public disclosure. You ask to see the other side's policies just to be sure. They refuse. You ask the judge for a protective order since some of your documents contain trade secrets.
A long-time client has asked Kinney to help identify a private equity/finance attorney to join as a partner in the firm's lucrative group. No book required. The client is a top Am Law firm.
