John F Halbleib
Resume – Noteworthy Achievements: Unique Knowledge, Internet and Technology Projects
Knowledge, Internet and Technology Projects: Director 2002 – Based on excellent leadership, executive and other professional skills demonstrated in connection with the practice of law and unparalleled success through Securitization.Net™ (http://www.Securitization.Net™), responsibilities expanded to include other strategically important, “first of their kind” projects, including envisioning, designing, developing and implementing technology driven strategies and solutions. Global responsibilities include Internet (public-facing Web sites), Extranet (secure, collaborative client-facing Web sites), Intranet (internal-facing Web sites), Omni-Web (Web based solutions that have implications internally and externally), knowledge management and analytics designed to measure the demonstrated value of particular solutions. A primary objective is to derive greater value from Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP’s (Mayer Brown)1 increasing investment in and annual budget for technology.
Delivering substantially greater value . . . . During the integration of practice areas, industry groups, departments and offices (which was marked by constant change, anxiety, tight budgets and limited resources) following the precedent setting cross-Atlantic merger of Mayer Brown & Platt and Rowe and Maw, achieved the following results:
· From disgruntled, ineffective and inefficient employees to efficient, effective, motivated and happier professionals. From four separate departments, formed an efficient, productive and effective team of highly motivated, efficient, effective and happier professionals
· Improved product and performance, and tripled productivity, while simultaneously engendering the professional advancement of teammates. Delivered higher quality, more effective and more consistent work product, substantially improved Internet performance and tripled productivity while experiencing less than 14% increase in personnel, with two-thirds of the team simultaneously achieving the next stage in their career
· Formed excellent relationships and global identity. Created collaborative, trusting relationships with lawyers and non-lawyers throughout Mayer Brown’s diverse professionals and cultures, and serve as a means through which practice groups develop their global identity via the Internet
· Effective Internet strategy delivers greatly improved performance. Delivered more effective, consistently applied strategy, which strategy has resulted in extraordinary improvement in public Web site performance, including (i) improved performance by a minimum of doubling and as much as 22.5 times prior performance by others, and (ii) overall public Web site performance generating around 400% of that which Mayer Brown’s main Web site generates
· Accolades from third parties, partners and clients. Received, on an unsolicited basis, accolades regarding work product including:
- from third parties – (i) in a published book by recognized marketing experts, Securitization.Net™ is cited as an excellent example of how to subtly establish Mayer Brown as an industry leader, (ii) Appellate.Net™ (http://www.Appellate.Net™) is often cited as an effective means of promoting a practice area, and (iii) Mayer Brown’s public Web sites have been (a) presented by the Association of Legal Administrators as an example of how best to utilize the Internet, (b) rated the highest – “Platinum IMA 2004-2005”, (c) recognized by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association as a “Top Diversity Web Presence”, and (d) in 2006, named “Best Law Firm Site,”
- from partners of Mayer Brown – Mayer Brown partners (i) have stated that they derive substantial new business as a result of such work product, and (ii) request in person presentations to clients to help solidify Mayer Brown’s acquisition of new or expanded business, and
- from clients inside and outside of Mayer Brown – clients frequently send superlative feedback
· Increased market share by 8%, revenue by $72,000,000 and profits by $29,500,000. Contributed substantially to Mayer Brown’s (i) gain of approximately eight percent (8%) additional market share (as a percent of Mayer Brown’s gross revenue) above the average growth rate for The AM Law 100 2005, which additional market share translates into approximately $72,000,000 additional gross revenue and approximately $29,500,000 increased profit, and (ii) growth in market share at a rate in excess of 89 other law firms in The AM Law 100 2005 and in excess of all of Mayer Brown’s 10 self-selected peers.
1. Background
The Knowledge & Web Solutions (KWS) Team (KWS Team) was formed effective January 1, 2004. One of the primary objectives was to derive greater value from Mayer Brown’s increasing investment in and annual budget for technology. The Director of KWS envisions, designs, develops and implements technology driven strategies and solutions, including a broad array of knowledge management (KM) initiatives and processes and other technology-driven solutions. Most KWS activities and projects are global in scope. KWS objectives include researching, analyzing, recommending, designing, implementing and delivering:
(a) technology driven solutions that (i) well serve Mayer Brown as a whole and our lawyers, other professionals, and clients, (ii) use process and teamwork, (iii) are user-friendly, (iv) require minimally intrusive, justified modification of daily work patterns, (v) integrate well into all of Mayer Brown’s relationships, and (vi) comply with the ever increasing requirements imposed by law,
(b) a knowledge management (KM) process that (i) contemplates, among other things, KM initiatives (e.g., KM for a particular practice area or KM for Mayer Brown’s overall administration) and all of Mayer Brown’s Web initiatives (e.g., public Web sites, Mayer Brown’s Intranet, Extranets and other collaborative workspaces) on a common platform and (ii) facilitates collaboration within and among the practice groups, offices and departments of Mayer Brown, and
(c) best practices, demonstrated value, and leadership through-out Mayer Brown in these areas.
KWS projects can be categorized into Internet (public-facing Web sites), Extranet (secure, collaborative client-facing Web sites), Intranet (internal-facing Web sites), Omni-Web (Web based solutions that have implications internally and externally), knowledge management and analytics designed to measure the demonstrated value of particular solutions. Examples within each category are provided in Table 1: KWS Projects – Knowledge Management, Internet, Intranet, Extranets, Omni-Web, and Analytics.
2. Measuring Expected Revenue
Each new legal matter comes to Mayer Brown as a result of direct contact with a Mayer Brown lawyer, usually a partner. Disproportionate emphasis (e.g., for billing, compensation and other purposes) is sometimes placed on who established the contact that originated the business; consequently, this point of reference (i.e., the personal contact that brought in the business) overshadows and often results in overlooking the many other factors that influence a client’s decision to hire Mayer Brown. Moreover, we are aware of only a fraction of the numerous legal matter, business opportunities for which Mayer Brown is qualified. It follows that the numerous legal matter opportunities for which Mayer Brown is qualified but not aware result in a great deal of missed opportunity. Failure to receive legal matter, business opportunities for which Mayer Brown is qualified result in reduced revenue for Mayer Brown (that is, below Mayer Brown’s full potential), whether or not Mayer Brown is aware of the legal matters Mayer Brown did not receive but for which Mayer Brown was qualified.
As Mayer Brown’s practice expands globally, becoming aware of the full spectrum of opportunities becomes increasingly important. Our objective must be to reach decision makers before they reach a decision to hire another law firm. To do this, Mayer Brown needs to make it easy for every decision maker to learn about Mayer Brown and its ability to deliver legal services in areas that are relevant to each such decision maker. This can not be achieved by merely advertising; rather, the most effective means of matching Mayer Brown’s expertise with the needs of clients is to share publicly available work product, oral arguments, articles on changes in the law, and other relevant and timely information, the views of independent third parties regarding their view of Mayer Brown’s lawyers as leading experts, etc.
For Mayer Brown (a law firm with more than 1,400 lawyers and a global practice), developing an effective means of delivering this content through the Internet requires strategy, planning, collaboration, and the ability to build buy-in, trust, commitment, and interdependence among partners who sometimes have divergent views and interests. To help partners understand, KWS communicates the primary benefit of this approach. The benefit is increased market share for each of Mayer Brown’s partners through a methodic increase in the market’s awareness of our expertise, as well as Mayer Brown’s lawyers’ reputation for being the best and achieving the client’s desired results. Anticipating opportunity before it exists, before we become aware of it, and beyond our existing contact network is required to expand Mayer Brown’s market share at an above average rate for each of Mayer Brown’s partners. This then increases Mayer Brown’s profits and that of each partner. Note – the focus is not on acquisition of market share by acquiring partners; rather, it is on expanding the market share of each existing partner. Generally, the acquisition of market share is likely to be far more expensive than expansion of market share pursuant to a strategy focused on the development of excellent lawyers, preparing them well in understanding the needs of clients and communicating the value of these lawyers to existing and prospective clients. The Internet uniquely facilitates this communication as and when existing and prospective clients are determining who to hire.
In fact, there has been a strong correlation between the success of our Internet initiatives and above normal growth in revenue in related areas; this implies some causation in the generation of business. Here is an analytical framework stated in mathematical terms to facilitate a better understanding of the causation such correlation implies. This framework is focused on “expected revenue.” The object of defining expected revenue in these terms is to emphasize the mathematical relationships between Mayer Brown revenue, the probability that a potential client will consider using Mayer Brown and the probability that a potential client will conclude that Mayer Brown is the best qualified at an acceptable price. The last two factors are two of the primary factors Mayer Brown’s knowledge management and Web site initiatives seek to increase. Also, note that the formula applies equally on a partner by partner basis. However, the probability that a potential client will conclude that a particular partner is the best qualified at an acceptable price is believed to be higher because he is with a highly diversified, consistently high quality law firm through which he can form teams on projects that require a set of skills beyond those normally possessed by one lawyer and through which the client can reduce the number of law firms it needs to manage because Mayer Brown is qualified to fulfill a broad range of other legal services required by the same client.
For example, one objective of Mayer Brown’s knowledge management program is to increase materially the probability that the client will conclude that Mayer Brown is the best qualified at an acceptable price by demonstrating that Mayer Brown’s more consistent and efficient use of knowledge gives rise to better, more cost effective solutions. As we increase the probability that Mayer Brown will be considered and that the potential client will conclude that Mayer Brown is the best qualified at an acceptable price, Mayer Brown’s rate of revenue growth will increase at a rate that exceeds many of our primary competitors, thereby increasing Mayer Brown’s market share (including the market share of each partner). That is, Mayer Brown’s marginal growth rate2 should exceed that of our competitors as KWS and others at Mayer Brown succeed in increasing both (i) the probability that a potential client will consider using Mayer Brown and (ii) the probability that the potential client will conclude that Mayer Brown is the best qualified at an acceptable price. Overtime, this expands Mayer Brown’s share of its target, global legal market and increases each partner’s individual market share and profitability.
In mathematical terms, the amount of business Mayer Brown should expect to receive for all matters globally (Total Expected Revenue) is equal to the sum of Expected Revenue determined for each legal matter in the marketplace. The Expected Revenue for each legal matter is equal to the product of (1) the total dollar value of such legal matter (Matter Revenue Value), multiplied by (2) the probability that a potential client will consider using Mayer Brown (Probability of Being Considered), multiplied by (3) the probability that the potential client will conclude that Mayer Brown is the best qualified at an acceptable price (Probability of Being Selected Once Considered); provided, however, that Expected Revenue for each particular legal matter in subject to overriding business considerations (Overriding Business Considerations)3. This formula can be applied for any particular time period, such as a quarter, a year, etc. That is:
|
Total Expected Revenue = |
The sum of Expected Revenue X, for all legal matters X = 1 through N. Where N is the total number of legal matters globally. |
|
Expected Revenue X = |
The product of Matter Revenue Value X, multiplied by the Probability of Being Considered X, multiplied by the Probability of Being Selected Once Considered X for legal matter X = 1 through N. Where N is the total number of legal matters globally; provided, however, that Expected Revenue X is always subject to Overriding Business Considerations X where and as applicable. |
For instance, given a satisfied client who has used Mayer Brown in particular matters and who knows the quality and extent of our expertise in these matters, the Probability of Being Considered is close to 100% and the Probability of Being Selected Once Considered is also close to 100%. If this legal matter had a Matter Revenue Value of $250,000, the Expected Revenue for this legal matter would equal $250,000 multiplied by 1.00 multiplied by 1.00 or $250,000. In this example, it is a virtual certainty that Mayer Brown will get the business, subject to Overriding Business Considerations.4
In contrast with the last scenario, given the very same type of legal matter where the Matter Revenue Value is $250,000 and the Probability of Being Selected Once Considered is close to 100%, the Expected Revenue for a particular legal matter is close to zero so long as the Probability of Being Considered for such matter is close to zero. That is, the Expected Revenue for this legal matter would be equal to $250,000 multiplied by 0.00 multiplied by 1.00 or $0. In some jurisdictions where Mayer Brown is not well known, the Probability of Being Considered is zero and thus, so too is our Expected Revenue zero (even though the Probability of Being Selected Once Considered may be close to 100%). The Internet makes it much easier for potential clients in these jurisdictions to learn about Mayer Brown and its broad range of expertise.
Moreover, the probabilities need not be 100% for Mayer Brown to receive matters. Thus, in some areas where the Probability of Being Selected Once Considered is close to 100%, the focus might be on increasing the Probability of Being Considered from 5% to 25%. Depending on the size of the market, this could cause a significant increase in Total Expected Revenue. Remember, even where a probability is not 100%, some percent of legal matters globally will become legal matters on which Mayer Brown works. Although we cannot predict in advance the specific matters that will be received by Mayer Brown, we can increase the Probability of Being Considered and the Probability of Being Selected Once Considered. By definition, Overriding Business Considerations are beyond our control.
KWS activities increase the Probability of Being Considered and the Probability of Being Selected Once Considered. KWS activities include, for example, (i) knowledge management, (ii) secure collaborative work spaces, (iii) public facing Web sites, (iv) technology driven solutions of various types, (v) increasing visitors, visits, page views and other measures reflecting interest in Mayer Brown and associated with Mayer Brown’s Web based solutions, and (vi) other similar activities.
While this analytical framework has focused on revenue, some aspects of Mayer Brown’s knowledge and web solutions strategy give rise to efficiency gains and therefore increase profitability without revenue growth. That is, growth in revenue is not the sole means of demonstrating the value delivered by KWS. Efficiency gains to be derived from knowledge management and similar initiatives have been the subject of a number of articles.5
3. Performance Overview
The formation and initial operation of KWS occurred during the three year post-Mayer Brown & Platt/Rowe and Maw merger agreement; this placed KWS squarely within the integration processes across practice areas, industry groups, departments and offices. This was and continues to be a period of tight budget limitations and virtually no additional technology driven resources. That is, Halbleib’s KWS Team was challenged to derive greater value from existing resources, in an unsettled environment full of uncertainty experienced and expressed by most individuals. During this period of constant change, anxiety and tight resources, Halbleib’s KWS Team succeeded in creating collaborative, trusting relationships with lawyers and non-lawyers who possessed unique cultural attributes and expectations formed before the merger, and who were located in more than 13 offices throughout the USA and Europe. Often, KWS was an instrument through which practice group partners developed a global footprint/practice perspective manifested in Mayer Brown’s internal and external practice area Web sites. Consequently, the challenges prompted by the merger were many and frequent.
During the first two years (2004 and 2005), KWS experienced less than 14% increase in personnel. During KWS’ second year of operation (2005), the annual productivity of Halbleib’s KWS Team tripled that which was achieved on an annual basis in the year before KWS was created (2003). More specifically, in 2005 Halbleib’s KWS Team produced three times the number of completed development projects, produced three times the number of new extranets, and managed three times the number of content groups as compared to annual productivity in 2003. In 2005, KWS completed 154 development projects and created 379 new extranets. As of the end of 2005, KWS managed 939 content groups. A detailed breakdown is provided in Table 2: KWS Development Projects Completed and Managed Content Groups by Type. At the end of 2005, KWS had 17 teammates in various offices. During 2004 and 2005, 10 members of Halbleib’s KWS Team achieved the next stage in their career.
During the same timeframe as KWS tripled its productivity with only 14% growth in personnel, Halbleib’s KWS Team delivered higher quality, more effective and more consistent work product. While it is challenging to measure the quality of product, here are some statistics that help. Even before Halbleib’s KWS Team was formed, Mayer Brown’s Web statistics were impressive. Performance statistics following the formation of KWS are more impressive. Regarding visits, 76% of our sites realized annual growth in excess of 50% and 32% of our sites realized annual growth in excess of 500%. Regarding visitors, 62% of our sites realized annual growth in excess of 50% and 24% of our sites realized annual growth in excess of 500%. Moreover, various Web statistics reflect a consistently high value attributed to our content by loyal, repeat visitors.
Neither Halbleib nor any member of Halbleib’s KWS Team has solicited industry recognition for their efforts, believing it better to let their ideas and solutions generate results such as those described herein; KWS’ overall objective is to derive greater value from Mayer Brown’s increasing investment in technology, which is achieved by increasing the Probability of Being Considered, the Probability of Being Selected Once Considered, and Mayer Brown efficiency, so as to increase individual partner’s and Mayer Brown’s profitability. These objectives are not achieved by receiving industry recognition of KWS efforts. Nonetheless, on an unsolicited basis, Halbleib’s KWS Team’s work in this area has received considerable third party accolades. Prior to the formation of the KWS Team, Halbleib’s first project on behalf of his practice group (Securitization.Net™ at http://www.Securitization.Net™) has been cited as an excellent example of how to subtly establish Mayer Brown as an industry leader.6 Halbleib’s and his KWS Team’s work continues to receive accolades. Mayer Brown’s public Web sites have been showcased by the Association of Legal Administrators as an example of how best to utilize the Internet. Mayer Brown’s public Web sites have been rated at the very top by independent third parties (and Mayer Brown’s Web site was one of only three receiving a 10 out of 10 for content, which is one of KWS’ primary concerns) receiving the highest “Platinum IMA 2004-2005.”7 Mayer Brown’s Diversity Web site at http://www.mayerbrownrowe.com/Diversity/overview/index.asp is one of 10 recognized by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) as a “Top Diversity Web Presence.”8 Likewise on an unsolicited basis, Mayer Brown partners have noted that they have derived substantial new business as a result of Halbleib’s and his KWS Team’s efforts. In fact, Halbleib is often asked to make presentations to clients, which have helped solidify Mayer Brown’s acquisition of new or expanded business. In 2006, Mayer Brown’s public Web sites were named “Best Law Firm Site.”9
After shifting responsibility for various Web based activities from four separate departments of Mayer Brown, responsibility for all Mayer Brown Web sites were consolidated into one group of professionals – Halbleib’s KWS Team. Thereafter, Halbleib and his KWS Team10 achieved performance levels that far exceeded past performance and Mayer Brown’s expectations. Here are just a few examples. But first, note that Mayer Brown’s more than 80 industry and practice area Web sites (nearly all of which were created by Halbleib and his KWS Team) each generate substantial Internet based traffic and more effectively communicate what existing and potential clients need to know about specific Mayer Brown expertise and experience. Inasmuch as these were created by the new KWS Team, there is no baseline against which to measure performance. All of these newly created Web sites have earned excellent visitor traffic and loyalty. In fact, we can isolate their marginal benefit to Mayer Brown based solely on current KWS performance. KWS current Web site performance above and beyond that which is attributable to Mayer Brown’s main Web site performance is at least 2 to 3 times greater than the performance of the main Web site alone, measured by number of visitors. Thus, KWS’ current overall public Web site performance generates around 400% of that which the current Main Web site generates by itself.
The Web sites for which we have good baselines with which we can make comparisons include Appellate.Net™ (http://www.Appellate.Net™), Litigation (http://www.MayerBrownRowe.com/Litigation), Main Site (http://www.MayerBrownRowe.com), and Securitization.Net™ (http://www.Securitization.Net™). Each of these four Web sites had earned respectable performance for a law firm Web site. Halbleib’s and his KWS Team’s current performance level expressed as a percent of the baseline performance for these four Web sites is as follows:11 Unique Visitors – between 280% and 380%; Unique Repeat Visitors – between 230% and 480%; Visits – between 280% and 390%; and Page Views – between 200% and 2,250%. Here are the numbers for each of these four sites:
|
Web Site |
Current Performance Level
As a Percent of Baseline Performance |
|
Unique
Visitors |
Unique
Repeat Visitors |
Visits |
Page Views |
|
Appellate.Net™ |
377% |
484% |
391% |
247% |
|
Litigation |
286% |
340% |
301% |
2,248% |
|
Main Site |
307% |
349% |
368% |
713% |
|
Securitization.Net™ |
291% |
229% |
275% |
201% |
This comparison of Halbleib’s and his KWS Team’s performance against baselines (that is, when operated primarily by Mayer Brown’s marketing department) reveals extraordinary improvement. Improvement above the baseline reflects a more effective, consistently applied strategy. Halbleib’s strategy improved performance in these areas by a minimum of doubling marketing’s performance (i.e., the baseline) and as much as 22.5 times marketing’s performance in the key area of Page Views. Page Views are important because they reflect whether the substance of what is on the Web site is actually being accessed by visitors. The value of Halbleib’s strategy is also reflected in the fact that the growth in repeat visitors exceeds the already impressive growth in visitors; visitors find the content more valuable and return to the Web site. From these and other statistics, this improved performance is excellent. This is reinforced by unsolicited superlative feedback frequently received from KWS clients inside and outside Mayer Brown. Refer to “Unsolicited Feedback From KWS Clients,” below.
This excellent, improved performance has translated into growth in market share and increased profitability. In July 2005, The American Lawyer published The AM Law 100 2005 for fiscal year 2004.12 These statistics reveal that Mayer Brown has gained market share at a rate in excess of 89 other law firms in The AM Law 100 2005 and in excess of all of Mayer Brown’s 10 self-selected peers. In fact, the net growth rate of Mayer Brown is twice the average for all of The AM Law 100 2005. This analysis reveals that Mayer Brown gained approximately 8% additional market share (as a percent of Mayer Brown’s gross revenue) above the average growth rate for The AM Law 100 2005.This 8% additional market share translates into approximately $72,000,000 higher gross revenue; with an average profit margin of 41%, this $72,000,000 gives rise to $29,500,000 in increased Mayer Brown profit. This increase in profit is easily a double digit multiple of the entire KWS budget. To put this in context, the KWS budget had already existed in 2003 before KWS was created (that is, KWS personnel were members of other Mayer Brown departments); after 2003, KWS personnel increased only 14%. This analysis demonstrates a substantial increase in value delivered by Halbleib and his KWS Team as compared to that which was delivered before the creation of Halbleib’s KWS Team (effective January 1, 2004).
4. Securitization.Net™ – http://www.Securitization.Net™
a) Background
Mayer Brown’s Securitization Practice is a worldwide leader in the structured finance industry. As part of the Securitization Practice’s 1999 strategy, it created Securitization.Net™, which is now a leading Web site for substantive information regarding structured finance. Two of the primary objectives of Securitization.Net™ are to materially increase (i) the probability that business and legal professionals we know and those we do not know will seriously consider using Mayer Brown for new legal matters and (ii) the probability that once considered Mayer Brown will be selected. As a Partner in this practice, Halbleib conceived of, designed, developed, marketed, implemented and operated Securitization.Net™. Securitization.Net™ plays an important role in expanding Mayer Brown’s global market share in structured finance; it is a leading Web site for domestic and international information relevant to the structured finance industry.
Securitization.Net™ delivers benefits to Mayer Brown’s global practice, including (i) enhancing the Practice’s preeminent image and reputation in the structured finance industry; (ii) providing benefits to our clients beyond those inherent in our role as legal counsel; (iii) serving as a means of quickly and efficiently distributing on a global basis information regarding Mayer Brown’s securitization and other finance related practices; (iv) providing content (including material developed and contributed by other leading industry participants) that is useful to Mayer Brown lawyers in connection with their practice of law and the training of Mater Brown’s lawyers and paralegal professionals; and (v) generating visits by a large number of industry participants, many of whom explore other Mayer Brown Web sites.
In Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force, by Ben McConnell, Jackie Huba, Guy Kawasaki, 2003, Securitization.Net™ is referenced as an excellent example of how to subtly establish oneself as an industry leader. The book notes that by operating a comprehensive portal of information about structured finance, Mayer Brown simultaneously generates goodwill with numerous industry participants, generates volumes of Web traffic by featuring the intellectual property of well known industry participants (including Mayer Brown), and establishes itself as an industry leader.
There is a strong positive correlation between (i) Web site factors such as increased use, and perceived value, of Securitization.Net™ and (ii) higher than expected rate of growth for the Securitization Practice. This is attributable to (a) the market’s increased awareness of (i) the value of Securitization.Net™, (ii) Mayer Brown as its sponsor, and (iii) the substantive content Mayer Brown authors and adds to the site (which Mayer Brown content manifests the broad and sophisticated nature of Mayer Brown’s Securitization Practice), together with (b) the increased goodwill Mayer Brown derives for originating and contributing the value of Securitization.Net™ to the structured finance industry without charge. As a result, this has materially increased both the Probability of Being Considered and the Probability of Being Selected Once Considered. In turn, the overall effect is the strong positive correlation between increased use of Securitization.Net™ and higher than otherwise expected14 revenue growth that has been derived by Mayer Brown’s Securitization Practice. In other words, Securitization.Net™ has greatly expanded Mayer Brown’s opportunity to compete for business in structured finance. Once afforded this opportunity to compete, Mayer Brown lawyers can present their excellent credentials, including where they might not have otherwise been considered. Thus, the Securitization Practice’s rate of revenue growth is greater than it would have been had it not had these additional opportunities to compete, together with an increase in the structured finance market’s awareness and perception that Mayer Brown’s Securitization Practice is an excellent choice.
Securitization.Net™ benefits Mayer Brown clients, fellow professionals and other industry participants in many ways. Some of the benefits include that Securitization.Net™ (i) facilitates the transfer of knowledge, thereby contributing to the expanded use of securitization and other forms of structured finance to new markets, (ii) allows users to remain current on industry developments and events, (iii) provides a means through which Mayer Brown clients and other industry participants can train younger members of their teams, and (iv) provides Mayer Brown with an additional means through which to express appreciation to the many industry participants with whom Mayer Brown has an excellent working relationship.
b) Immediate Success
Securitization.Net™ was launched during the second half of 1999 and reached a minimum threshold of public awareness in mid-2000. Note, the annual growth rate of revenue for the Securitization Practice was lower than Mayer Brown’s overall average for the period from July 1999 through June 2000. In mid-2000, Securitization.Net™ reached a minimum threshold of public awareness. When one compares the rate of growth in revenue of the Securitization Practice to that of Mayer Brown for the 12 month periods July 2000 through June 2001 and July 2001 through June 2002, the growth rate of Mayer Brown’s Securitization Practice revenue was 30% and 75% higher than the growth rate of Mayer Brown’s overall revenue for those 12 month periods (July 2000 through June 2001 and July 2001 through June 2002), respectively. This substantial swing in marginal growth rate translates into a large dollar increase in revenue.
c) Continued and Increased Success
After forming Halbleib’s KWS Team effective January 1, 2004, the performance of Securitization.Net™ more than doubled immediately. Recent Annual Performance Statistics for Securitization.Net™ was Unique Visitors 252,507; Unique Repeat Visitors 53,459; Unique Visits 484,319; Average Visits Per Day 1,326; Page Views 1,366,352; Average Page Views per Day 3,743; Hits 3,499,319; Average Visit Duration 12 minutes; and Registered Users in excess of 19,500.
Many users of Securitization.Net™ have become loyal. As of the end of 2005, there are more than 19,500 registered users who are professionals in the structured finance industry, many of whom work for Mayer Brown clients. Throughout 2005, more than 60 of Mayer Brown’s investment and commercial bank and other financial institution clients used this resource between 1 and 15 times daily. Many other types of clients also use this resource. Securitization.Net™ now has 194 total contributors, including many of the industry’s most prestigious participants, such as accounting firms, administrators, academia, advisory/trade groups, bank arrangers, central banks, commercial banks, consultants, credit enhancers, financial institutions, financial sureties, hedge funds, investment banking firms, IT/software companies, law firms, management companies, market data/researchers, media, multi-lateral development banks, publications, rating agencies, regulatory authorities, seminar/conference sponsor, trustees, and others.
The unparalleled success of Securitization.Net™ was one of the reasons Mayer Brown asked Halbleib to consider expanding his responsibilities so as to include other areas of Mayer Brown. Mayer Brown wanted to extend the proven benefits of his very successful and creative Securitization.Net™ approach to other areas, with an emphasis on delivering substantially greater value to Mayer Brown and its partners from Mayer Brown’s increasing investment in and annual budget for technology. Here are a few examples of the substantially greater value Halbleib and his KWS Team have delivered to Mayer Brown.
5. Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP – Main Site: http://www.MayerBrownRowe.com
First launched in early 2003,15 Mayer Brown’s main Web site at http://www.MayerBrownRowe.com represents a unique strategy. Mayer Brown has relationships with clients, alumni, recruits, partners, employees and others, each of which is important to Mayer Brown’s global practice of law. One goal is to serve well each of these groups through effective integration of technology into our relationships. Our main Web site plays an integral role in our effort to integrate technology into each of our relationships, whether internal or external.
With more than 1,400 lawyers in seven U.S. and six European cities, Mayer Brown is one of the largest law practices in the world, with more than 80 industry and practice areas, thousands of publications, a constant flow of news regarding accomplishments of its professionals, ongoing recruiting efforts around the globe, and more. One of our goals is to facilitate learning by those who seek to know us better, but not by describing ourselves in glowing terms; rather, the objective is to allow Mayer Brown work product, articles, other publications and the observations of independent third parties help others learn about Mayer Brown’s professionals. In facilitating our clients, alumni, recruits, partners, employees and others better understanding Mayer Brown and their access to resources that Mayer Brown makes available, Halbleib and his KWS Team designed “MyPage” to facilitate each registered user’s organization of, and ease of access to, that which is most important to them based on their individual interests. Through our main Web site and MyPage area, we also provide secure collaborative extranets to our clients, alumni, recruits, partners, employees and others.
Becoming a registered user is the first step in the process Halbleib and his KWS Team designed to better serve Mayer Brown’s clients, alumni, recruits, partners, employees and others. Effective use of technology requires that we provide each of these groups with solutions that fit their unique needs. Not only does registration help us provide security, content and functions as appropriate, it also allows each registered user to exercise more precise control over certain aspects of our relationship. Becoming a registered user registers the user for all of Mayer Brown’s Web sites, allows each to customizes their individual “MyPage” based on his or her unique interests, assigns specific access rights to each particular user and grants access to an increasing amount of Mayer Brown’s Web site content, facilitates secure, user friendly access to certain secure, collaborative extranets, facilitates each registered user’s subscribing or unsubscribing from updates and other electronic mailings, triggers periodic reminders to confirm or update registration information so that we can serve registered users well, determines access to certain online resources to which access is otherwise limited, and facilitates our learning the unique interests of our registered users so that Mayer Brown can improve the usefulness of its Web sites. The users of Mayer Brown’s main Web site have become loyal. As of the end of 2005 and separate from Securitization.Net™, Mayer Brown had 17,300 registered users who are professionals throughout the world, many of whom work for Mayer Brown clients.
Annual Performance Statistics for Mayer Brown’s Main Web Site (http://www.MayerBrownRowe.com), not including more than 80 Industry and Practice Area sites, was Unique Visitors 437,376; Unique Repeat Visitors 98,406; Unique Visits 1,113,766; Average Visits Per Day 3,051; Page Views 10,119,059; Average Page Views Per Day 27,723; Hits 21,454,683; and Average Visit Duration 6 Minutes. As of the end of 2005, Mayer Brown had 17,300 Registered Users. When the statistics for the more than 80 Industry and Practice Areas are included, these statistics and the performance of Halbleib and his KWS Team increase many times over. In fact, we can isolate their marginal benefit to Mayer Brown based solely on current KWS performance. KWS current Web site performance above and beyond that which is attributable to Mayer Brown’s main Web site performance is at least 2 to 3 times greater than the performance of the main Web site alone, measured by number of Visitors. Thus, KWS’ current overall public Web site performance generates around 400% of that which the current Main Web site generates by itself. Moreover, after forming Halbleib’s KWS Team effective January 1, 2004, the performance of Mayer Brown’s main Web site (http://www.MayerBrownRowe.com) more than tripled and in the very important area of reading Mayer Brown’s content, Page Views are now more than seven times the baseline period,16 without including statistics for the more than 80 Industry and Practice Area sites.
6. Appellate.Net™ – http://www.Appellate.Net™
Mayer Brown’s Supreme Court and Appellate Practice is the nation’s oldest and largest. With 28 partners, 4 counsel, 3 academic affiliates, and approximately 30 associates, Mayer Brown has a depth of experience in appellate litigation that is unparalleled. On Appellate.Net™, information and links relevant to Supreme Court and appellate practice, as well as information about Mayer Brown’s attorneys and the cases handled in recent years are presented for review and evaluation. Annual Performance Statistics for Appellate.Net™ are Unique Visitors 106,679; Unique Repeat Visitors 14,308; Unique Visits 158,049; Average Visits Per Day 433; Page Views 272,785; Average Page Views per Day 747; Hits 599,791; and Average Visit Duration 15 Minutes. After forming Halbleib’s KWS Team effective January 1, 2004, the performance of Mayer Brown’s Appellate.Net™ Web site (http://www.Appellate.Net) more than doubled and in the very important area of loyalty and continued interest, unique repeat visitors is now nearly five times the baseline period.
7. Litigation – http://www.MayerBrownRowe.com/Litigation
On behalf of the Litigation practice, Halbleib and his KWS Team developed an improved strategy for demonstrating its global scope while simultaneously demonstrating the unique nature and value of certain more local practices. This greatly improved the performance of Litigation’s Web presence. After forming Halbleib’s KWS Team effective January 1, 2004, the performance of Mayer Brown’s Litigation Web site (http://www.MayerBrownRowe.com/Litigation) more than tripled and in the very important area of content and continued interest, Page Views are now 22.5 times the baseline period.
8. Unsolicited Feedback From KWS Clients
Neither Halbleib nor any member of Halbleib’s KWS Team has solicited accolades for their efforts, believing it better to let their ideas and solutions generate results that speak for themselves. Nonetheless, unsolicited feedback regarding Halbleib’s and his KWS Team’s performance and work product is excellent. In the ordinary course, Halbleib’s and his KWS Team routinely received feedback such as the following examples: