Shanghai Diligence Law Firm, started in January 2006, is a fast-growing law firm in the growing market for legal services in China. In addition to the usual challenges faced by all professional services firms (collection and retention of talent and create the desired client portfolio), the firm faces some challenges and opportunities that are unique to its customers in China and the fact that the firm has not yet three years old. The legal profession in China is a new and rapidly growing one with a large number of small companies are all trying to carve out a distinctive niche for itself. One of the partners in the firm, Joseph Shang, created an innovative compensation system he calls the "ABCD model ', which allows even the most junior partners to earn compensation for attracting new business. This model is a hybrid between the typical compensation system found in a Chinese law firm and those in the UK and U.S. firms to law. aim of this approach to compensation for the company to obtain and keep promising lawyers, and provides them with an incentive to help grow the business. somewhat unusual for a typical law firm, or any type of professional service firm, the compensation model is only used in the practice of Shan. Founder and CEO, Chenyao Wu, has its own version of the "ABCD model," and there is a debate about what the company should do the payment. In addition to compensation, the company is struggling with issues dealing with different opinions among partners, building the brand in a very competitive market and the stability of the core team. "Hide
by Robert G. Eccles, Catherine Zhang Source: Harvard Business School 19 pages. Publication Date: February 12, 2009. Prod. # : 409065-PDF-ENG