Baker Sterchi makes a point of letting potential clients know that it can handle cases nationwide—“especially nowadays, when companies are so concerned about the bottom line,” said Scott Kreamer. This advantage is not unique to his firm.  He added, “Relatively speaking, every-one at the table has a cost structure that is favorable compared to coastal firms.”

 One of the reasons Lathrop & Gage opened its Los Angeles and Chicago offices, said Joel Voran, was to “build value for the national client.” 

McAnany, Van Cleave & Phillips has been channeling work from New York and Washington into its Midwest offices to control the cost structure of client accounts, noted Larry Greenbaum.

Kutak Rock, said Mitch Woolery, uses the services of its attorneys in Kansas City and elsewhere in the Midwest

to provide rate relief to clients in its Philadelphia and Los Angeles offices.

Given the legal resources here, the Kansas City market is highly competitive. “If we had to live off Kansas City business, all of us would be in trouble,” said Ed Spalty. Area firms, he added, are fortunate to have a lower cost center and can still do work at least comparable to firms elsewhere that charge much more.

1. Panel chairman George Wolf listens as his firm’s CEO, John Murphy, addressed the recent contraction at law firms nationally. One concern was that the layoffs of younger lawyers tended to involve the staff members who brought greater diversity to a firm. | 2. Ben Mann said his firm’s clients were placing more importance on staff diversity. | 3.  Russ Jones believes that layoffs on both of the coasts have increased numbers of qualified applicants here.

Diversity

John Murphy spoke to a recent report that diversity is under threat.  Younger associates are more likely to be diverse but, because of the economy, younger associates are more likely to be laid off.

Mark Hinderks reported that Stinson Morrison Hecker brought in its most diverse group of associates ever this fall.  He believes that the economic downturn has created opportunities for the Midwest to recruit better and more diverse associates than in the past.

“We are going to stay the course for sure,” he added. “It’s good business.”

“We have done a good job as a bar in working together and I think that’s helping everyone,” said Murphy. “You see very few firms that aren’t scoring 100 on human-rights surveys.”

“We have a lot of clients for whom diversity is important too. Diversity is something we have in common,” said Ben Mann. He noted that clients tend to be less flexible on diversity than they are on fee structure. “I think as a country or as a commercial part of society, people are seeing that diversity is a worthwhile thing to have,” he added.

Russ Jones believes that with the layoffs in the larger firms on either coast, firms in the Midwest will see more good candidates. Ed Spalty agreed. One problem local firms shared was getting some candidates to consider Kansas City.

“We had a wonderfully diverse group of applicants that we would not have seen two years ago,” affirmed Mitch Woolery. “They were coming from the coasts and from the south.” The economy, he said, “gave us a much better opportunity to cast a wider net.”

Pete Smith has had success recruiting and retaining female lawyers because there is a pool of good female lawyers in Kansas City.  His firm also makes effort to accommodate their family obligations. 

“I do all I can not because of a diversity program,” he noted, “but because they are good.”