Mid-sized law firms are struggling to let go of traditional ways of working despite laudable intentions to be progressive, according to a report commissioned by LexisNexis.
The report, Mind the Gap, exposes a major disconnect between what practising lawyers working at the coalface think their firm’s priorities for change should be, and the views of decision-makers on the subject. It is based on interviews and surveys with more than 150 law firms.
Nearly half of the decision-makers acknowledged that they found it difficult to let go of conventional values and adopt new ways of working. Decision makers ranked information sources as their number one priority change for this year, but lawyers would prefer to increase investment in processes and technology.
The report revealed optimism about the future. Four out of five firms are “quite or very” confident about future growth. Nearly three out of five believe their size gives them a competitive advantage.
