From my experiences living and working abroad, and in the time I have spent overseeing Law.com's international coverage, I have come to recognize that there are real differences in the operations of law firms in different countries and regions of the world. But I also have learned that there are some universal truths: Firms want to grow—the more revenue and profits per partner, the better.

But at what cost?

I'm Lisa Shuchman, bringing you this week's edition of The Global Lawyer—our weekly summary of the major news and trends affecting the global legal industry.