Best-practice management in the legal profession

In the time that I have been editor of Managing Partner, I have spoken to many solution providers to the legal profession. Many of those conversations have been typically loaded to their product of the day, with discussions on strategic management boiling down to a particular problem and this or that ‘revolutionary’ solution. Thankfully, several solution providers have become more sophisticated, whether through age and experience or an acknowledgement that today’s audience cannot be easily duped.

For this issue, I have spoken to a number of solution providers that are participating in Ark Group’s fourth annual LEX Connect 2005, including Canon, eCopy, FloSuite, Thomson Elite and Voicepath. They form a real mix of old and new, which together give a good sense of what is happening in the market. For instance, Thomson Elite is now broadening its empire into Europe and is sufficiently strong to stir up business on account of its brand name alone. Perhaps because of that very strength, European sales manager Harry Pfeffer is keen to appear humble, saying that law firms are at the vanguard of technology advances in the modern business world. It is a view that is at odds with some other solution providers who still maintain that, in general, law firms are “behind the times” in their use of technology.

While the more established solution providers appear to be sitting pretty, there is still plenty of room for newer entrants, making the market a good one for firms shopping around for the best buy. In 2004, Managing Partner noted some fresh faces among the solution providers attending the LEX Connect events in the UK and Europe, and many have returned for the 2005 event, to be held in London at the end of February. In particular, Voicepath returns at a time when it is working hard to reinforce its message to the legal sector. As a transcription-service provider, using legal secretaries across the UK, it believes it has a unique business proposition that is well worth the price. The company has also spent its first few years of trading discovering where the real gaps in the market lie, that is, in moving away from digital dictation and making the most of the opportunities still existing in the transcription field. It is a similar strategy to FloSuite that came together in 2002 to meet a very specific end-user need to integrate existing best-of-breed solutions. In the face of competition from more established solution providers, they are both examples of how newer companies can win work by having greater flexibility to adapt to market conditions.

As for law firms, the present market is an exciting one. From a technology point of view, there are plenty of options, the variety of which reflects something fundamental in the legal profession: that its sophistication is well worth the attention and investment of solution providers large and small. That law firms are investing so much in IT also suggests that more firms than ever are seriously looking at ways to improve their internal and external efficiencies. And, of course, that means their management teams have their jobs cut out as they drive through business strategies for better client service and greater profitability. From an observer’s point of view, that’s got to be good news for everybody – the law firms, their clients and the solution providers.

Caroline Poynton

Editor

Features

A technical business: Assessing law firms and their use of IT Free
An important element of Ark Group’s LEX Connect in London at the end of this month is the one-to-one meetings between lawyers and solution providers, where many aspects of legal technology will be discussed. In anticipation of the event, Caroline Poynton talks to solution providers that will be at the event, including Canon, eCopy, FloSuite, Thomson Elite and Voicepath, about their perception of IT in the legal market and how they intend to go about meeting their clients’ needs.

Internal affairs: Better managing people to meet strategic objectives Free
A lot of firms now talk about the importance of values in supporting a firm’s growth. Values mean nothing, however, if not reflected in the day-to-day behaviour of staff, a challenge requiring excellence in people-management skills. Alison Denton, director of human resources, assesses how firms can get the best out of people so that the business as a whole can move forward more profitably

The more the merrier: Building a successful practice group Free
In competitive times such as these, there are many valid strategic reasons for launching a new practice group, but the challenge lies in moving from the idea to reality. Tony Reiss, a consultant at Sherwood PSF Consulting, argues that many firms find the successful launch of a practice group difficult, but provides some useful tips and guidance for getting it right.

Motivating the troops: Using research into generational differences to improve performance Free
It is easy enough to survey partner attitudes or associate well-being in a particular firm or even in a specific region or country. But Karen MacKay, a consultant at Edge International, has gone further with an international outlook. In a survey conducted in association with global law-firm network Multilaw, MacKay has found varying attitudes between partners and associates of different generations and countries. She explains her findings in more detail in this first part of a series of articles to be published in Managing Partner.

Levelling the playing field: Managing the impact of discrimination and equal-pay laws Free
Law firms might have modernised dramatically in recent years, but there remains a reputation among many for being old boys’ clubs, with all the working inequalities the term implies. James Davies, joint head of the employment and incentives department at Lewis Silkin, explains what firms need to do to ensure that they meet legislative requirements for diversity and equal opportunities, while ensuring a better, happier workforce.

Regulars

Thought Leader Free

Personal profile: Little country, big ideas Free
In recent years, many UK law firms over the past few years have struggled to retain market share in the face of stiff competition and rapid globalisation. For Ireland, however, a booming economy has been good news for law firms, many of which have successfully established themselves in the international arena. Caroline Poynton talks to Declan Moylan, managing partner of Mason Hayes & Curran, about the growth of his firm and his ambitions for the future.