A sense of renewal.

• Author: Conley, Steve
• Position: ABOUT THIS ISSUE - Editorial - Brief article

If you subscribe to the theory that change is good, it's official: You're now well into a good year. Nice change, huh?

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If you scan, peek at or--best--read this issue, you'll find the core of nearly all the discussions is about relationships: between lawyers and clients, budgets and marketing, and attorneys and journalists, technology and people.

While some writers propose big changes and others visit or revisit subtler ones, nearly every author highlights the criticality of relationships. In fact, between the relationship focus and some authors' proposals, you may begin to think it's already June, wedding season.

* Old themes: budget declines, client interviews and the concept that our world is "flat."

* New themes: video is good, "cold calls" are hot and "warm relationships" are cold.

* Borrowed themes: Growth Architecture, a bean counter-styled model, and Client Lifetime Value, a math-driven notion stemming from economics.

* And, even some blew-it themes, as in our industry blew earlier shots at certain topics. Among those: business development is the new white (circa 2001), attorneys-at-law are salespeople at heart and you can't e-vite...