Firms seeking to address gender-based pay inequities have a new resource in the ABA Toolkit for Gender Equity in Partner Compensation. In explaining the initiative, ABA President Laurel G. Bellows said the proposal is intended to encourage law firm leaders to talk about potential changes in both compensation and hiring models, and provide practical ways to help firms deal with the issue. Read more about the initiative.

When the slowing economy forced companies to curb legal spending in recent years, alternative fee arrangements were touted as a solution, but the billing trend has been slow to take hold in Nashville, and a new survey of in-house counsel shows that alternative fees are trending downward nationwide. A study by the Houston-based law firm Fulbright & Jaworski, found a 10 percent drop in companies using alternative fee arrangements and a 13 percent drop in firms planning to use alternative structuring in the coming year. The Nashville Business Journal reports on the study.

Many law firms are offering legal fee alternatives to the traditional billable hours, thanks to a new breed of law firm executives known as pricing directors. Value-based pricing is the new billing model where the focus is on producing outcomes such as client satisfaction and repeat business instead of racking up hours to succeed. “Change your firm’s conversation from hours and revenue, to revenue and profit," Toby Brown tells ABAJournal.com. "If you succeed in doing that, then everything else follows.”

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz has been recognized by the International Legal Technology Association with a Project of the Year Award for development of a patent pending legal project management system. The firm also was recognized for being one of the first in the United States to create and implement a Legal Project Management Office. A spokesperson said the system would help attorneys be more efficient and make the practice of law more transparent for clients. Read more

A new website called Inforuptcy is being touted as a cheaper alternative to PACER for those accessing bankruptcy documents. The site charges the regular PACER fee for documents that are not yet in its database, but after a document is accessed, it remains in the database for future users to read for free. In addition, downloading a PDF of a case in the database costs half of the PACER fee. Inforuptcy co-founder Michael Mikikian says, “The more people who bypass PACER.gov and use our site instead, the more we will be able to share that information with the public.” The ABA Journal links you to the stories on the topic.

News from the General-Solo-Small Firm Section
Client relationships need to start from a solid foundation to be successful. In the latest TBA All Access Network video, Memphis attorney and ethics expert Brian Faughnan offers six key steps to consider when beginning these relationships. Watch Faughnan’s program now or review any of the other video programming. All programs are five to 10 minutes long and can be watched at no cost.