Strategic Matter- Spring 2012 V1

Greetings from Mattern & Associates Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Strategic Matter, a publication designed and developed to o er a strategic view of the legal back o ce exclusively for law rm leaders. You will not nd the information in these articles online, in a blog, or on Twitter. We o er this quality, print resource to you as an industry service—and only to you. We want you to know what we are seeing and hearing as we work with some of the nation’s most pro table and preeminent law rms and hope you can bene t from the knowledge base of your peers. Mattern & Associates has grown its reputation in the indus- try over the past 15 years. We are not only an unbiased consul- tancy proven to strategically decrease law rm overhead, but also a recognized and trusted source of information. We publish widely, are frequent guest speakers at prominent events, and sponsor a widely-regarded, comprehensive survey of cost recov- ery strategies. You are the people who are setting the vision, goals and direction for your rm for the next 5 to 10 years. We are pleased to provide this information and hope you nd it relevant and useful. Last year, Mattern & Associates reviewed the information available to law rm leaders and determined law rm decision makers should have access to two types of unbiased informa- tion: the tactical as well as the strategic sides of back o ce operations. At the end of our review, however, it became appar- ent that while there was a su cient amount of information available for the tactical side of the back o ce operation, there was no resource for the strategic side. We take pride in bringing The Strategic Matter to you. The Strategic Matter is conceived precisely as that unbiased resource addressing the strategic side of back o ce operations. It is the next step in our forward think- ing at Mattern & Associates and a part of our goal to connect with other thought leaders in the industry. In this issue we cover: • The Cost is Right: Investigating the Difference Between Achieving Good Pricing and Better Cost Recovery Strategy • Firm wide Contracts: Why Consistency is King • An Opportunity in Alternative Fee Arrangements In the winter issue we will address business process outsourcing, whether it makes sense for your rm, as well as the results and implications of the Mattern & Associates 2012 Cost Recovery Survey. As always, I amgrateful for the support of our clients and the knowledge and wisdom they impart to us.

Rob Mattern, President Mattern & Associates, LLC

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