The Future of the Law Firm - A report prepared for Eversheds law firm

A recently released report from the Eversheds international law firm discusses some conclusions for the future of the legal profession. One of the elements not really addressed in my reading of the release was the disconnect between lawyers and their clients in large corporate enterprises. Why should this be the case? Why should lawyers and the folks they represent be far apart in their thinking about the profession and how it is being conducted?

The New Economy and the Virtual Law Firm of the Future :: InternetBar.org :: Shaping the future of Online Justice & Collaboration Worldwide

One would not use farm models to manage a factory economy, and one shouldn't use factory models to manage an information economy. One hallmark of the new economy is the need to define business in terms of customers' changing needs. Defining a law firm from the producers' —the lawyer's— point of view is simply no longer workable and will have vast implications for the practice of law and the structure of law firms. Information technology enables an organization to differentiate itself along several critical dimensions: 1) time; 2) space; 3) matter; 4) substitution of electronically-based information service for high-priced labor; 5) elimination of intermediaries through direct contact with the customer; and 6) customization of product or service to the particular needs of the single individual.

Inside the Firm of the Future: Productization versus Commoditization in the Legal Industry

Little has been said about the problem of the perceived commoditization of legal services. It is clear that professional service providers are suffering from a perception that what they do is a commodity. The problem is so pervasive that many professionals actually believe they are a commodity. Here are some of the contributing factors.

Building tomorrow’s legal firm

In the first of a five-part series, Keith Dugdale takes a look at how firms can begin to deal with the rapid changes that will influence their success.