Growth is typically seen as a good thing. And all of the coverage I was seeing about Big Law firms entering the Nashville market, whether through new offices or acquisitions, was overwhelmingly positive. But is growth always a good thing? Surely someone suffers when the hometown law firm gets gobbled up by one with a global presence. For this article I wrote for the Nashville Post’s annual Leaders magazine, I started my research with that question in mind.
What I discovered was that as Nashville teeters on being a major legal market, it’s a boon for some (among them, partners of law firms that now find themselves with access to an office in London or Seoul) and it’s a bust for others—namely the local (probably small business) clients that can no longer afford law firms that also boast offices in London and Seoul. Of course, it’s not that simple. But it was one of the things I discovered researching and conducting interviews for this cover story.