It’s all about money

Also in this issue is “The going rate,” our annual and most-requested survey of the year. We may not have an AmLaw 100 giving the profits-per-partner statistics for all of the big firms, but our annual legal fees survey provides a handy benchmark for lawyers in various practice as to what their colleagues across the country and at different-sized firms are charging for some of the most common legal services they provide. We had an unprecedented number of respondents to this year’s survey with more than 600 lawyers taking the time to comment and fill out the questionnaire, therefore giving the most comprehensive set of numbers we’ve had in many years.

While many lawyers commented that they had raised their fees over the last year, the fee chart numbers, averaged responses in 16 of the 26 categories, showed a decline in the rates reported in our 2009 survey.

Surely the recent economic slowdown had a dramatic effect on what lawyers are charging for their services, so it will be interesting to compare next year’s numbers to see the effect of more stable times. Stay tuned, as always, I appreciate feedback from readers in terms of adding new categories or sections to the survey.

From our story on the coming HST and the consequences of not being prepared for it, and our cross-examined profile of dealmaker and philanthropist Stephen Halperin to our legal reports on insolvency and business and corporate law, the money theme weaves its way throughout this issue. There’s something for everyone.