揽瓜阁阅读做题小分队 第121天 律师事务所

小白斩鸡

请大家在本帖回复：

1. 文章大概结构

2. 自己写的答案

解析+文章翻译明晚微信群里公布

报名活动，加微信号killgmat

Corporate law firms have traditionally billed their clients on an hourly basis. However, in the current economy, it is increasingly common for law firms worldwide to offer clients alternative billing structures. Seeking a competitive advantage, many law firms now earn much of their compensation in the form of an unguaranteed bonus which is paid upon completion of the firm's work and the amount of which depends on the success of that work. The terms of these alternative compensation schemes are documented in engagement agreements that specify the bonus the client will pay the firm given various outcomes of the case. Particularly with first-time clients, a compensation structured on such a bonus can be a highly effective marketing tool, especially if the client is very cautious in selecting legal service providers, a high hourly billing rate is a barrier to client engagement, the firm often loses potential clients to firms with lower hourly rates, or the consequences to the client of a negative outcome are severe.

On the other hand, these bonus-based compensation structures can sometimes hinder law firms' marketing efforts. Sophisticated clients may be wary of firms offering such structures, understanding that the firm may have less incentive to provide independent, objective advice and instead advise the client to take undue risks in the hope of winning a larger bonus payout. Such structures may mislead less sophisticated clients by suggesting that the outcomes of certain cases will necessarily be favorable. A firm's willingness to work for a bonus may even signal to potential clients that a firm is desperate for business. Indeed, law firms with exceptional reputations and a track record of success have little to gain by offering an alternative to the long standing norm of hourly billing.

1. All of the following hypothetical situations exemplify a potential problem noted in the second paragraph EXCEPT which of the following?
a. A law firm's offer of a bonus-based compensation structure leads a client to believe that the success of his or her case is a foregone conclusion.
b. A law firm's offer of a bonus-based compensation structure makes a client suspect that the firm has few existing clients.
c. A law firm's offer of a bonus-based compensation structure makes a client suspect that the firm may give riskier advice than it would if it were working on an hourly basis.
d. A law firm's offer of a bonus-based compensation structure makes a client suspect that the firm is trying to charge more than it would if it were working on an hourly basis.
e. A law firm's offer of a bonus-based compensation structure makes a client suspect that a firm's objectivity may be compromised.

2. The primary purpose of this passage is to
a. justify the popularity of a behavior
b. evaluate the usefulness of a practice
c. demonstrate how to implement a program
d. discuss the ethics of a business activity
e. explain the reasons for pursuing a strategy

3. The passage's description of the issue raised by a bonus-based fee structure for law firms most clearly implies that which of the following is true?
a. Success-based bonuses violate the legal profession's standard of practice.
b. Lawyers working on behalf of a client cannot always determine the outcome of a lawsuit in advance.
c. The dignity of the legal profession is undermined by new legal services that differ from those typically offered in the past.
d. Clients whose cases are not successful cannot be adequately compensated by financial settlements alone.
e. Predicting the cost of legal services is more difficult than predicting the costs of other professional services.

参考答案：

DBB

setmefree1

1. 为了竞争，许多律师无保证金，奖金在工作完成后支付，取决与不同结果。高小时费成为障碍，被低小时费的律所抢走。
2. 有时这样的结构会阻碍律所工作，经验丰富的客户会警惕，因为积极性降低。会误导不够成熟的客户。但是名声好的律所提供这样另一种计费方式不会有好处。
BBB

屯个名字

P1:
hourly basis——>unguaranteed bonus
——>(description of the new)
specify the bonus the client will pay the firm given various outcomes of the case
——>(why change-advantage)
a highly effective marketing tool——>(why)high hourly billing rate is a barrier to client engagement

P2：
——>(why change-disadvantage)
hinder law firms' marketing efforts
1.Sophisticated clients-the firm may have less incentive; advise the client to take undue risks
2.mislead less sophisticated clients-favorable outcomes
3.potential clients-a firm is desperate for business
4.No good for some firms

BBD  6'03"

程畅2001

第一段：hourly billing- 新方法：an unguaranteed bonus
        好处：for first-time clients, especially when they are very cautious in selecting legal service providers
第二段：缺点：hinder marketing efforts
for sophisticated clients- less incentive
for less sophisticated clients-suggesting favorable
To potential clients that desperate for business-很厉害的大律所采用这种方式的收益很小。

IrisGMAT750

6’50严重超时，现在属于不仔细看就会错，好好看不会错很多但会超时。阅读速度需要提升，不过今天做的几篇有感觉到看完脑中形成了一个框架，还是需要多练。

elsewhere.xx

main idea：
传统上，律所如何收费。然而，现在另一种收费结构。这种收费结构的好处。这种收费结构的缺点。

具体：
律所传统上按小时制收费，然而，现在提供另外的收费结构。为了获取相对优势，许多公司通过bonus形式赚取comp。特别对首客来说，这是个很好的营销工具，不然很高的小时制收费会阻碍客户意愿，把客户流失给了收费低的公司。
另一方面，基于bonus的结构会妨碍律所的营销成果。老练的客户知道律所提供这种结构会倾向于为了获取更多bonus而推荐有风险的建议。会误导没那么老练的客户。另外，律所愿意为了bonus工作也会让潜在客户觉得公司很渴望业务。确实，声誉好且过往历史好的公司从这种新模式中获得不了什么好处。

DBB

ArielWen

全文翻译：

公司律师事务所传统上按小时向客户收费。然而，在当前的经济形势下，世界各地的律师事务所越来越普遍地为客户提供替代的计费结构。为了寻求竞争优势，许多律师事务所现在以无担保奖金的形式获得了大部分薪酬，奖金是在事务所完成工作后支付的，其金额取决于工作的成功。这些替代薪酬方案的条款记录在聘用协议中，该协议规定了客户将根据案件的不同结果向公司支付的奖金。特别是对于首次客户而言，基于这种奖金的薪酬可能是一种非常有效的营销工具，尤其是如果客户在选择法律服务提供商时非常谨慎，高小时计费率是客户参与的障碍，公司往往会将潜在客户输给低小时计费率的公司，或者负面结果对客户的后果是严重的。

另一方面，这些基于奖金的薪酬结构有时会阻碍律师事务所的营销努力。成熟的客户可能对提供此类结构的公司持谨慎态度，因为他们了解到，公司提供独立、客观建议的动机可能会降低，反而建议客户承担不必要的风险，以期获得更大的奖金。这种结构可能会误导不太成熟的客户，因为它暗示某些案例的结果必然是有利的。一家公司愿意为奖金而工作，甚至可能会向潜在客户发出信号，表明一家公司急需业务。事实上，拥有卓越声誉和成功记录的律师事务所，通过提供一种替代长期以来按小时计费的标准，几乎没有什么好处。

结构分析：
传统律师事务所采用hourly basis收费（按小时收费），现在许多公司采用unguaranteed bonus获得报酬（按照case获胜与否收费）。
第一段罗列了这种新收费方式的好处：潜在的营销工具
第二段列出了这种新收费方式的坏处：公司为客户提供独立、客观建议的动机较低，会鼓励客户冒风险已获得更高报酬；误导客户cases必然胜诉；释放公司急需业务的信号。

答案：DBB

AliceJQC

以前法律顾问按小时收费，但是为了竞争优势他们采用了另一种额外奖金的收费方式，这种方式是一个好的营销工具可以吸引一些潜在客户。

第二段开始讲这种额外奖金的方式也有一些弊端，会使客户怀疑法律顾问为了获得奖金不一定能给出客观的建议。

B B A

ccccherry

DBB

foxli2020

Day 121
1th:很多律所采用 pay on hourly basis,但也有一些律所采用bonus等体系。讲hour pay的弊端；
2th: bonus 的弊端。比如客户可能会因此质疑律所能否保持给出independent、objective advice。会不会为了bonus让客户冒险。
1-2 A B B