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Michael D. ShortMichael D. Short
Principal
(202) 756-1381 – office
(202) 255-1197 – mobile
mshort@lawvisiongroup.com 

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Michael Short counsels law firms and other types of professional service firms around the world on a wide range of strategic, management, and operational issues (summarized below). His client base ranges from small, “local” firms in many countries to large, multi-national firms and includes many practice boutiques as well. He strives to establish long-term relationships with each client, based on his ongoing role as a trusted confidant and counselor.

Over the course of his career he has worked with well over 600 law firms. He started as a law firm consultant in 1988 as a member of the law firm consulting group at Price Waterhouse (later, PriceWaterhouseCoopers). He then joined Hildebrandt International in 1999, stayed through several name variations of that consultancy (Hildebrandt Baker Robbins, HBRConsulting), supported several Hildebrandt Institute programs, and is now one of the founding members of The LawVision Group. He is based in the firm’s Washington, DC office.

In addition to client work, he is also a frequent speaker and writer on most law firm leadership and management topics. Presentation audiences include national and local organizations (Bar Associations, ALA national or chapters), established law firm networks and affiliations, and trade or industry organizations. For several years, Michael wrote a monthly column for Lexpert Magazine entitled "Strategy Forum". His final piece for the publication entitled "There Is No Finish Line", was published in October 2011 and discusses the strategic planning process. Michael is called upon regularly by the legal industry press for quotes and comments.

Strategic Planning

  • Assists law firms, practice groups, industry teams, client teams, and pro bono programs with all aspects of developing and implementing strategic plans

  • Facilitates partnership retreats focused on current competitive positioning and strategy development

Mergers and Acquisitions

  • Helps firms identify merger opportunities that are consistent with their strategies

  • Assists candidate firms with merger negotiations and deal structuring

  • Facilitates post-merger integration efforts

  • Assists with transfer of ownership issues, including practice valuations

Management and Governance

  • Assesses law firm governance and management approaches and assists in their refinement and alignment with strategic goal

Partnership Compensation

  • Works with firms to identify and implement an appropriate compensation system

  • Evaluates the results of compensation deliberations

  • Participates in the compensation decision-making process as a non-voting advisor

Practice Management

  • Works with firms to develop effective practice management structures that will align practice and geographic goals and business plans with overall firm goals

  • Works with the firm to align existing systems and structures to support practice management

Infrastructure/Administration

  • Analyzes the strategic alignment of administrative support structures with firm goals and objective

Finance

  • Analyzes the economic performance of firms/individual practice groups and develops revenue enhancement and expense control strategies to improve performance

  • Develops profitability studies, models, budgets, long-range forecasts and financial benchmarks for law firms

  • Performs detailed overhead expense analyses to evaluate spending levels in relation to benchmarks to determine achievable goals

Ancillary Businesses

  • Assists firms in assessing ancillary business opportunities

Articles

Education

  • B.S., University of Maryland

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