Joe Blackwood

Articles by Joe Blackwood

Rise in worked rates in 2020 fueled by proportional shifts

There is much evidence that the large law firm market finds itself at a crossroads. Evidence of the approach toward a tipping point was laid…

Joe Blackwood February 08, 2021

Year in review: Q2 2020 & the pandemic shutdown

Leading up to the release of the “2021 Report on the State of the Legal Market” on January 12, 2021, we will reexamine the tumultuous…

Joe Blackwood December 23, 2020

A tale of two markets: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, …”

The global pandemic has had a measurable effect on all markets across the globe, and the legal industry has been no exception. While the first…

Joe Blackwood December 21, 2020

PMI Q2 analysis: Top of market law firms largely driving rate growth

The second quarter of 2020 was marred by near unprecedented global uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic was still in its infancy, and no one at the…

Joe Blackwood September 17, 2020

PMI Q1 2020 analysis: What’s driving productivity and worked rates?

Prior to the bulwark of broader economic shutdowns, stay at home orders, and court closures, the large law firm market saw strong growth in both…

Joe Blackwood June 05, 2020

Focused Firms: Segmental Differences in Demand & Efficiency

We continue our series of blog posts using Peer Monitor data to examine the characteristics of Focused Firms — those law firms that have 50%…

Joe Blackwood April 13, 2020

Focused Firms: Expenditures & the Bottom Line

We continue our series of blog posts using Peer Monitor data to examine the characteristics of Focused Firms — those firms that have 50% or more…

Joe Blackwood March 30, 2020

Introducing “Focused Firms”: The Value of Concentration

In a new series of blog posts, we will use Peer Monitor data to examine the characteristics of “Focused Firms” — those firms that have…

Joe Blackwood March 11, 2020

2020 Report on the State of the Legal Market: Who is Driving Worked Rate Growth?

We discussed previously how the 2020 Report on the State of the Legal Market — published in January by Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute and the…

Joe Blackwood February 27, 2020

2020 Report on the State of the Legal Market: A Closer Look at the Cost of Declining Productivity

The 2020 Report on the State of the Legal Market, from Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute and the Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession…

Joe Blackwood February 13, 2020

Infographic: 3 Key Takeaways from the “State of Corporate Law Departments 2019” Report

As we learned with the recently released, State of Corporate Law Departments 2019 — published by Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute, the International Bar Association (IBA), the…

Joe Blackwood April 15, 2019

PMI Slips in Q4 as Productivity Softens and Demand Growth Is Offset by Other Shortcomings

Through the first three quarters of 2018, the large law firm market enjoyed average growth in demand, rates, and productivity. The fourth quarter, however, was…

Joe Blackwood February 12, 2019