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Chapter 1 – Introduction to Stephen J. McGarry1
Leaders in Legal Business
Founder, AILFN, Lex Mundi, WSG,
& HG.org
Is law a profession, a business, or both? For decades, every law school, bar association,
and law society has posed this proverbial question.2 The fact is that today, the profession of law
annually generates more than $700 billion dollars in revenue. There are several million people
employed in the legal profession, and hundreds of thousands support it through products and
services.3 Essentially, the business of law is to manage the profession: the revenue, the people, and
the processes required to achieve outcomes that benefit clients.
The legal profession exists because of the need for advice about the law as well as the
relationships defined by the law. Attorneys earn their living through their respective clients who
enter daily into legal relationships. The use of lawyers varies from country to country. Aside from
criminal cases, hiring an attorney is generally optional. Because representation by a lawyer may
not be necessary, there is usually no specific requirement that a consumer or a business use a
lawyer; the lawyer must add value. For example, a contract between two parties is still a contract
regardless of who the parties are. Therefore, a lawyer adds value for the client when he or she can
demonstrate the ability and has the resources to achieve the client’s desired objectives.
The business of law ranges from providing ideas to supplying equipment in order to make
the practice of law more effective and efficient. There are individuals and companies for which
law is purely a business. They support the business of law through the services and products they
provide. Their activity is commonly referred to as “law practice management.”4 Leaders in Legal
Business is an overview of these businesses and the thousands of people who manage, develop,
and influence the business — which is law.
1 Stephen McGarry, B.A., M.A., J.D., and LL.M. (Taxation), founded World Services Group (WSG), a multidisciplinary network, in 2002. As
president, he grew it to 150 firms that have 21,000 professionals in 600 offices in more than 100 countries. In 1989 McGarry founded Lex Mundi,
the world’s largest law firm network. As president, he grew it to 160 law firms that today have 21,000 attorneys in 600 offices in 100-plus countries.
These two networks represent 2 percent of all the lawyers on earth. In 1995, he founded HG.org, one of the first legal websites. Today, it is among
the world’s largest sites with more than five million pages and 1,100,000 users each month who download almost two million pages. McGarry is
admitted by exam to the bars of Minnesota, Texas, and Louisiana. In 2002, American Lawyer Media (ALM) published McGarry’s treatise on
Multidisciplinary Practices. McGarry has authored numerous articles on associations and international business transactions.
VP of Editorial: Jennifer Kain Kilgore is the VP of Editorial for AILFN and an associate attorney with MALIS | LAW. She previously worked
as an associate attorney with the Boston-area law firm of Brown & Knight, LLC and concentrated her practice in the areas of estate planning,
probate, business planning, and real estate. She is also the principal of Writmore, LLC, providing editorial, research, and writing services. She was
the managing editor of the New England Journal of International & Comparative Law and was published in Volume 18.1. Ms. Kilgore has worked
with the Massachusetts Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, the Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston, and the
Boston Municipal Court. She served as attorney editor for the popular financial news website Benzinga.com and was also the editorial assistant for
two award-winning regional magazines, Berkshire Living and Berkshire Business Quarterly. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar. Ms. Kilgore
graduated from Ohio University (B.S., Journalism, cum laude, 2005) and the New England School of Law (J.D., 2012).
2 See Champ S. Andrews, The Law: A Business or a Profession? (June 1908), 107 YALE L. J. 602 (JUNE 1908); Jeremy M. Miller, Is Law a
Business or a Profession – And Does It Really Matter? 107 LOS ANGELES D. J. (1994).
3 Mari Sako, Make-or-Buy Decisions in Legal Services: A Strategic Perspective, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (2010),
http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/tile_image/sako-make-or-buy-in-legal-services.pdf.
4 Law practice management is the study and practice of business administration in the legal context, including such topics as workload and staff
management, financial management, office management, and marketing, including legal advertising.
1
Leaders in Legal Business
Founder, AILFN, Lex Mundi, WSG,
& HG.org
Is law a profession, a business, or both? For decades, every law school, bar association,
and law society has posed this proverbial question.2 The fact is that today, the profession of law
annually generates more than $700 billion dollars in revenue. There are several million people
employed in the legal profession, and hundreds of thousands support it through products and
services.3 Essentially, the business of law is to manage the profession: the revenue, the people, and
the processes required to achieve outcomes that benefit clients.
The legal profession exists because of the need for advice about the law as well as the
relationships defined by the law. Attorneys earn their living through their respective clients who
enter daily into legal relationships. The use of lawyers varies from country to country. Aside from
criminal cases, hiring an attorney is generally optional. Because representation by a lawyer may
not be necessary, there is usually no specific requirement that a consumer or a business use a
lawyer; the lawyer must add value. For example, a contract between two parties is still a contract
regardless of who the parties are. Therefore, a lawyer adds value for the client when he or she can
demonstrate the ability and has the resources to achieve the client’s desired objectives.
The business of law ranges from providing ideas to supplying equipment in order to make
the practice of law more effective and efficient. There are individuals and companies for which
law is purely a business. They support the business of law through the services and products they
provide. Their activity is commonly referred to as “law practice management.”4 Leaders in Legal
Business is an overview of these businesses and the thousands of people who manage, develop,
and influence the business — which is law.
1 Stephen McGarry, B.A., M.A., J.D., and LL.M. (Taxation), founded World Services Group (WSG), a multidisciplinary network, in 2002. As
president, he grew it to 150 firms that have 21,000 professionals in 600 offices in more than 100 countries. In 1989 McGarry founded Lex Mundi,
the world’s largest law firm network. As president, he grew it to 160 law firms that today have 21,000 attorneys in 600 offices in 100-plus countries.
These two networks represent 2 percent of all the lawyers on earth. In 1995, he founded HG.org, one of the first legal websites. Today, it is among
the world’s largest sites with more than five million pages and 1,100,000 users each month who download almost two million pages. McGarry is
admitted by exam to the bars of Minnesota, Texas, and Louisiana. In 2002, American Lawyer Media (ALM) published McGarry’s treatise on
Multidisciplinary Practices. McGarry has authored numerous articles on associations and international business transactions.
VP of Editorial: Jennifer Kain Kilgore is the VP of Editorial for AILFN and an associate attorney with MALIS | LAW. She previously worked
as an associate attorney with the Boston-area law firm of Brown & Knight, LLC and concentrated her practice in the areas of estate planning,
probate, business planning, and real estate. She is also the principal of Writmore, LLC, providing editorial, research, and writing services. She was
the managing editor of the New England Journal of International & Comparative Law and was published in Volume 18.1. Ms. Kilgore has worked
with the Massachusetts Reporter of Decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, the Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston, and the
Boston Municipal Court. She served as attorney editor for the popular financial news website Benzinga.com and was also the editorial assistant for
two award-winning regional magazines, Berkshire Living and Berkshire Business Quarterly. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar. Ms. Kilgore
graduated from Ohio University (B.S., Journalism, cum laude, 2005) and the New England School of Law (J.D., 2012).
2 See Champ S. Andrews, The Law: A Business or a Profession? (June 1908), 107 YALE L. J. 602 (JUNE 1908); Jeremy M. Miller, Is Law a
Business or a Profession – And Does It Really Matter? 107 LOS ANGELES D. J. (1994).
3 Mari Sako, Make-or-Buy Decisions in Legal Services: A Strategic Perspective, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (2010),
http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/tile_image/sako-make-or-buy-in-legal-services.pdf.
4 Law practice management is the study and practice of business administration in the legal context, including such topics as workload and staff
management, financial management, office management, and marketing, including legal advertising.
1
