Big Can be Very Very Bad

      As I am reading about the Delphi bankruptcy, and the troubles which are haunting General Motors Co., it occurred to me that there will always be a role for mega-firms to handle certain transactions of mega-corporations. The Delphi bankruptcy is a huge monster of a case which could only effectively be handled by making the primary quarterback a large outside law firm (despite the fact that small to medium sized firms might play a role in specific projects).

      It also occurs to me that we may be seeing yet again that huge business structures can lead to tremendous inefficiencies, waste and a shift toward the political, as opposed to the capitalistic structure which defeats many large companies. One of the things that we often complain about pertaining large firms is the fact that they become focused on political issues and power as opposed to ingenuity, creativity and customer service. We have seen auto manufacturers fall into that trap repeatedly. Perhaps as we look at alternatives in the legal market, we ought to keep our eye upon other markets as well for examples of where large is not necessarily better.