The End of Big Law Firms?
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The End of Big Law Firms? Rethinking Legal Services Delivery Models in the 21 st Century Presenter Mark Lassiter, Attorney, Arbitrator, Mediator The Lassiter Law Firm, Lex Projex™
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Transcript of The End of Big Law Firms?
The End of Big Law Firms?Rethinking Legal Services Delivery Models
in the 21st Century
Presenter Mark Lassiter, Attorney, Arbitrator, Mediator
The Lassiter Law Firm, Lex Projex™
Let’s break it down…
Why do we have law firms
anyway?
Reasons why law firms arose…
Physical Location w/Means of Production
Knowledge, Mentoring & Collegiality
Administration & Support
Got Work?
BRAND
Do You Really Need a Law Firm for…
• Administration & Support?– Law Librarian?– Receptionist?
• Physical Location for Means of Production?– Phones? – Computers? – Dictation & Transcription?
• Mentoring & Knowledge Management?• Got Work?
– Now THAT’s the only remaining question…
Reception Accounting InformationTechnologyMail Office
SuppliesFax Billing
HelpDesk
DataStorage
MailroomAccountsPayable /Receivable
FinanceCollections
Marketing
PublicRelations
Payroll WebSite
CRMRecords &Document
Management
Management& HumanResources
OVERHEAD FOOTPRINT
Latter 20th Century Law Firm ‘Pyramid’ Economic Model
Equity Partners
Jr. Partners
Associates???
Early 21st Century Law Firm ‘Diamond’ Economic Model
The Next “Shape” for “Big Law Firms?
Let’s break it down…
Source: Jeff Carr
What do Lawyers & Law Firms Really Do?
Historic law firm essential services
Advocacy
Counseling & Advice
Content
Processes
Source: Jeff Carr
Advocacy
Counseling & Advice
Content
Processes
The “Unbundling” of Legal Services
Source: Jeff Carr
The Modern Dilemma - A Lawyer’s Competing Demands…
Law Firm
Increase firm/own income by generating work done by firm’s own employees?
Outsource work to non-firm workers who can do it better, faster, cheaper?
Clients
The inherent conflict between the best interests of the ‘Firm’ and of the ‘Client’
Law Firm wants to keep its traditional,
‘Pyramid’ or ‘Diamond’ way of doing business…
Client wants VALUE – doesn’t care about preserving the Law Firm’s ‘structure’
How will this inherent tension
play out?
Alternatives to Law Firms?…
[A lawyer could] … become an exquisitely talented maestro of assembling just-in-time teams you put together for one project at a time, with the precise blend of talents, capabilities, and capacities to get the job done and then to disperse (think producing a Hollywood movie or constructing a major downtown office) …
MacEwen, Bruce (2012-12-10). Growth is Dead: Now What? Law firms on the brink (Kindle Locations 1958-1976). Adam Smith, Esq., LLC. Kindle Edition.
“Just in Time Teams”?…
Alternatives to Law Firms?…
ATTORNEYS
"Closed Legal Community"
#1
#2
#3
#4
CALL CENTERRECEPTION
ADMIN/HR
MARKETINGACCOUNTING
INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY
MAILROOMBUSINESS
ANALYTICS
SERVICEBUREAUS
LEGALPROCESS
OUTSOURCECOMPANIES
ESI / EEDVENDORS
CONTRACTPARALEGALS
CONTRACTATTORNEYS
COURTREPORTERS
EXPERTS
Alternative 21st Century Legal Services Delivery Model?
* From Jordan Furlong Book – EVOLUTIONARY ROAD, Pg. 14
Great quote from Legal Analyst & Thought Leader Jordan Furlong about what new, small firms will start to look like in about 2016*
“Unbundling” of 21st Century Legal Services
Lawyers Paralegals Staff
Non-Firm/OutsourcedWorkers
FirmEmployees
Originating orResponsible Attorney
Future legal teams may be a ‘mixed bag’…
Lawyers Paralegals Staff
