Winning the Legal Industry – Legal Bisnow

Firms are in flux. So is the legal industry. How to come out ahead (and not like Howrey)? Top law firms are hiring consulting companies to rethink age-old processes, so we met with one ourselves (or at least the head of one). HardingLowe president Mike Lowe has been working with an AmLaw 20 firm for the past year.

A Harvard and Duke alum, Mike co-founded the consulting firm when he spotted parallels between the legal and consulting worlds: first, a bubble with clients willing to pay anything; then, the “pop” leading to clients demanding transparency and alternative fee structures. Since then, he’s helped meld professional services with new tech to help his client run like a high-performing business. Mike’s five-person company (former Accenture execs who worked with clients such asDHS, Marriott, and DoD) created the law firm client’s e-discovery unit (already earning profits), and are working on its web portal, experience management platform, and workforce planning. What’s the key to successful change? 1) Senior leadership must champion it; 2) Identify the inefficient behaviors (which have developed in response to inefficient systems) that prevent culture change, including some people’s mindsets to “do it all themselves.” 3) Include employees in decision-making so they are invested. 4) Share the change’s quantifiable benefits (eg, ROI or time saved).

Click here to read the full article >>