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    GROUP 5 - Duane Morris - Balancing Growth and Culture at Law Firm

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    Duane Morris is a law firm founded in 1904 in Philadelphia that has traditionally maintained a collegial culture characterized by equality, simplicity, and incremental change. Between 1997 and 2005, the firm opened offices in nine new cities while maintaining its core values through transparency in compensation and consensus-based decision making. As the firm has grown, some aspects of its unique culture like extensive decision making processes have become harder to sustain at the same level. However, the firm's focus on equality, cross-selling, and client relationships are aspects that remain scalable as it facilitates further growth.

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    GROUP 5 - Duane Morris - Balancing Growth and Culture at Law Firm

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    394 views12 pages
    Duane Morris is a law firm founded in 1904 in Philadelphia that has traditionally maintained a collegial culture characterized by equality, simplicity, and incremental change. Between 1997 and 2005, the firm opened offices in nine new cities while maintaining its core values through transparency in compensation and consensus-based decision making. As the firm has grown, some aspects of its unique culture like extensive decision making processes have become harder to sustain at the same level. However, the firm's focus on equality, cross-selling, and client relationships are aspects that remain scalable as it facilitates further growth.

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    GROUP 5 _Duane Morris_ Balancing Growth and Culture at Law Firm (1)

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    Duane Morris is a law firm founded in 1904 in Philadelphia that has traditionally maintained a collegial culture characterized by equality, simplicity, and incremental change. Between 1997 and 2005, the firm opened offices in nine new cities while maintaining its core values through transparency in compensation and consensus-based decision making. As the firm has grown, some aspects of its unique culture like extensive decision making processes have become harder to sustain at the same level. However, the firm's focus on equality, cross-selling, and client relationships are aspects that remain scalable as it facilitates further growth.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    394 views12 pages

    GROUP 5 - Duane Morris - Balancing Growth and Culture at Law Firm

    Uploaded by

    Do not Spam
    Duane Morris is a law firm founded in 1904 in Philadelphia that has traditionally maintained a collegial culture characterized by equality, simplicity, and incremental change. Between 1997 and 2005, the firm opened offices in nine new cities while maintaining its core values through transparency in compensation and consensus-based decision making. As the firm has grown, some aspects of its unique culture like extensive decision making processes have become harder to sustain at the same level. However, the firm's focus on equality, cross-selling, and client relationships are aspects that remain scalable as it facilitates further growth.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 12
    At a glance
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    The key takeaways are that Duane Morris is a law firm founded in 1904 in Philadelphia that followed the values of equality, simplicity and incremental change. It grew gradually through regional expansion and its first merger in 2005. It emphasized collegiality and consensus-based decision making.

    The values that characterize Duane Morris are equality of all people, simplicity and functionality, and progress through incremental changes.

    The firm socialized its members into these values by spending time explaining and getting buy-in on decisions, preparing intensively for important decisions, and providing extensive background materials.

    Duane

    Morris
    Balancing Growth and Culture at a Law Firm

    1
    About the Company

    1. Duane Morris is a Philadelphian Law Firm founded by Duane, Morris,


    Heckscher and Roberts in 1904.
    2. For few decades firm had gradual profitable growth in regional markets.
    3. Linked to Quaker of Pennsylvania
    4. Till 1997, Duane Morris was a midsized firm with few lawyers outside
    Philadelphia.
    5. Maintain unusual degree of collegiality.
    6. Between 1997 and 2005, firm opened o ces in more than 9 cities.
    7. Completed its first merger by acquiring a firm in San Francisco in late 2005
    8. Company follow the following core values:
    ● Equality to all people
    ● Simplicity and functionality
    ● Progress through incremental changes
    2
    Question 1(a). What are the values that characterize
    Duane Morris?

    Equality of all people


    They treated leadership as a
    service function and the roles
    were assigned on an ad-hoc
    basis.
    Progress through
    incremental change
    Simplicity and functionality
    They preferred to take
    They followed simple clothing
    incremental, opportunistic steps
    and speech and believed all
    towards change but if
    actions should have a practical
    opportunity is for radical action,
    function.
    they will grab it.
    3
    Question 1(b) How did the firm socialize its members
    into these values?
    Compensation
    The company made sure that
    all the compensation process
    was transparent and flexible

    Action & Growth


    Research
    Employees wait for the the right
    Company followed a strong action
    opportunity and then provides
    policy which laid foundation for all its
    the radical action.Their
    employee that all the expected Employee supported
    employee to have a solid functional progressive causes. And this
    justification which should be backed was notably has been observed by
    up with quantitative analysis. the growth of the company

    4
    Question 2. How did the above values reflected
    in the unique culture at Duane Morris?

    Leadership Discussion
    Leaders prepared intensively before Bonovitz and the executive
    important decisions were to be committee members spent sufficient
    made. Members of the partners’ time explaining and getting buy-in
    board were provided with extensive
    on proposed decisions before the
    background material on issues at
    hand. board meetings were held.

    5
    Continued .......

    Decision Maker Consensus


    Mr Bonovitz in his company One of the most notable elements
    allowed for a more thorough of Duane Morris’s culture was the
    vetting of the issues involved in a reliance on consensus-based
    given decision and also created decision making which helped the
    an environment where there company to make a better
    were no “winners and losers” and decision
    this was the most important
    decision
    6
    Q3 How would you characterize the organizational culture at Duane Morris on a
    scale of integrative to fragmenting? How has the culture changed over the
    years?

    ● The firm in past for its unusual degree of collegiality and a culture of consensus-based decision
    making: the firm had never, in all its history, taken a vote on any issue. This showed the
    fragmenting organizational culture.
    ● The firm valued an entrepreneurial, business-oriented focus, combined with collegiality and a non
    territorial approach to clients which showed a shift from fragmenting to integrating organizational
    culture
    ● Duane Morris recruited primarily through hires of experienced lateral partners and teams
    ● Promotion: Duane Morris was considered an “underleveraged” law firm in which the ratio of
    partners to associates was low, approximately 1.2 to 1 (taking into account equity and nonequity
    partners). This allowed the firm to provide experienced service to its clients and resulted in fewer
    “rainmakers,”with business generation spread among more partners
    ● Compensation :The key aspects of compensation at Duane Morris were transparency in the
    process, flexibility, rewarding teamwork, and underpaying leadership
    ● Integration and Cross-selling : Duane Morris’s business strategy was practice-group integration
    and cross-selling services.
    ● Client Relationship Management: The main role of the marketing department was to help the
    lawyers develop business and to help maintain relationships with current clients.

    7
    Question 4(a). How will the growth affect the
    organizational culture at Duane Morris?

    INTEGRATION
    AND
    PROMOTION
    CROSS-
    SELLING

    Duane Morris has a significant Duane Morris offers promotion


    advantage because of its key as partnership and this is an
    aspect of cross-selling. And as extensive process which takes 6
    the firm will grow leveraging this months. With growing numbers
    would be better . this would be harder to execute

    8
    M&A

    With merger and acquisitions through


    the company’s size will grow but
    MEETINGS DECISION
    maintaining the same culture would
    be difficult MAKING

    For the efficient function of cross-selling Duane Morris believed in equality of


    and strategy planning Duane Morris every employee and asked for a
    used to have regular meetings through consensus before taking any
    video conferencing and physical decisions, but this process will be
    meetings which will be harder to carry on hard to execute with growing number
    with increasing number of offices. of employees.

    9
    Question 4(b). What aspects of Duane
    Morris culture are easily scalable?

    ● EQUALITY OF ALL PEOPLE-


    ● SIMPLICITY AND FUNCTIONALITY-
    ● PROGRESS THROUGH INCREMENTAL CHANGE-
    ● STRATEGIC PLANNING (DEVELOPING 5 YEAR PLANS)-
    ● PROMOTION-
    ● INTEGRATION AND CROSS SELLING-
    ● CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT-
    ● MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE-
    ● MEETINGS-
    ● ANCILLARY BUSINESSES-

    10
    Is it worthwhile to relinquish some aspects of Duane Morris
    culture in order to facilitate growth? Which aspects?
    Explain
    YES, it is worthwhile for the company to give up some
    aspect Expansion
    Recruitment
    1. Hire more number of people and not to 1. All or much of the growth of the law
    maintain very high quality while hiring. firms was basically driven by the
    2. Mergers can also help in bring more globalization and merger with large
    talent in to the firm to boost the growth. corporations that the firm served

    2.After 2005, the company was primarily


    focused on the developing the firms
    which were already existed, rather than
    developing the new firm.

    11
    Thanks!
    CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo,
    including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik

    12

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