Redesigning the Law Firm: What If We Could Do It Differently?

Law firms are not optimally designed to be efficient, profitable businesses that provide a healthy balance for lawyers and business professionals. Rather, the traditional model seems purpose-built to impose hurdles for lawyers to monetise their experience; to foment an adversarial relationship between clients who want efficiency and lawyers who profit from inefficiency; and to impose significant physical and mental burdens in the pursuit of work product “excellence” that is often at odds with client needs.

The global pandemic proved the traditional law firm model is a choice, not a requirement. In this session, Tim will compare and contrast tenets of the traditional law firm model with alternative approaches. These alternative approaches are fairly standard in business, but the global pandemic proved they can and do work in law firms. The discussion also includes a roadmap for how to get started. This is intended to be a lively, interactive session, with participants contributing their own anecdotes of what works, what doesn’t, and why.

Learning Outcomes:

1.     Review alternative approaches to remote working, facilities planning, collaboration, communication, remuneration, business development, and people management.

2.     Discuss how to quantify the financial impact of these changes, both to gain buy-in and to measure progress

3.     Learn how to overcome the cultural roadblocks to such changes in a law firm