On the business side and with the close of 2012 at hand, every law firm is focusing on the following predictions for 2013:
- Revenue growth will remain flat.
- Expenses will increase at a higher rate than revenues.
- Pricing pressures will continue.
- Firms will increases the utilization of measurement tools and project managers to increase matter profitability.
- Increased emphasis on leveraging and creating client relationships.
While not exactly rosy, it is not all doom and gloom as in some recent years. As a matter of fact, for some firms these will represent some potential opportunities if they position themselves correctly—and Mattern & Associates is there, developing strategies every day to that end.
On the personal side, an organization that I became aware of this past year the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation. Andy Talley is the football coach at Villanova University–my alma mater.
What I’ve learned from this organization is that each year, 10,000 patients diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia or lymphoma are in need of a bone marrow transplant, yet only half receive one. The chances of finding a matched, available donor are as low as 66% for some patients; 70% of patients have no suitable donor in their family.
Coach Talley started this foundation to recruit potential donors and, in just three years, enlisted 29 other college football programs to lead and host their own on-campus donor drives each spring. The football players span the campus, recruiting people to take the cheek swab test, thereby registering themselves as potential bone marrow donors on the “Be The Match” registry. In 2010, the goal of Coach Talley’s “Get in the Game, Save a Life” was to recruit 5,000 new registrants; that year “Get in the Game” added 8,800 new donors. You can read the whole story at www.talleybonemarrow.org.
It makes me proud to be an alumnus of Villanova and to support Coach Talley’s commendable efforts. If you are interested in supporting this excellent cause, they will be having a fundraiser on Saturday, March 2, 2013.
I hope everyone has a great holiday season and a fantastic 2013.
Rob Mattern
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