Measuring law firm culture

Abstract

This chapter proposes a research agenda for the study of large law firm culture and explains how the research would contribute to both legal ethics and organizational theory. It focuses on two sets of questions that are uniquely suited to investigation in large law firms. First: what is the significance of organizational culture, relative to that of professional networks and subgroups? To what extent does organizational membership shape lawyers’ understandings about “how things are done”? Second: how is organizational culture sustained? What are the mechanisms of cultural integration in volatile, multioffice firms? The chapter draws on a pilot study of law firm culture in one 500-lawyer firm.

Citation

Chambliss, E. (2010), "Measuring law firm culture", Sarat, A. (Ed.) Special Issue Law Firms, Legal Culture, and Legal Practice (Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, Vol. 52), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1059-4337(2010)0000052004