Demographic Shifts Transform Law Office Management

9 August 2006

Demographic shifts, globalization and increased corporate governance are three key factors changing the way law offices operate, according to a just-released white paper from Robert Half Legal, a legal staffing service specializing in lawyers, law clerks, paralegals and other highly skilled legal professionals. The paper is titled The Changing Face of the Legal Industry and is part of the company's continuing Future Law Office project. The research also highlights how legal employers are responding to the needs and priorities of an increasingly diverse, multigenerational workforce in order to recruit and retain top talent, and remain competitive.

For its annual Future Law Office project, Robert Half Legal commissions surveys of lawyers, interviews leading experts and conducts research to determine how law offices will operate in the coming years. The results are available at www.futurelawoffice.com. "The legal workforce is evolving, impacting the profession in many ways," said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal. "Increasingly, law offices are re-evaluating their staffing and human resources practices in order to capitalize on the diversity of their internal teams and prepare for new industry developments."

Re-tooling Talent Management Strategies

Research conducted for the Future Law Office project shows the presence of four generations -- Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y -- in the workforce for perhaps the first time ever. "A multigenerational workforce presents law offices with new talent management challenges," Volkert said. "Nearly two-thirds of lawyers we surveyed said they see distinctions in the work styles of the members of each generation, and 78 per cent said their law offices are taking steps to address these differences and facilitate teamwork."

Another prominent issue for today's workforce, Volkert added, is work-life balance. "Lawyers want to achieve professional success, but not at the expense of personal or family obligations. They expect law offices to help them find and sustain the proper balance," he said.

Lawyers and others in the legal profession also want to continue learning. "Our research shows professional development is one of the leading reasons legal professionals remain at their current firms or legal departments. With this in mind, law offices are investing in leadership development initiatives and business management training for senior-level lawyers," Volkert said. "At the associate level, many firms have implemented mentoring programs to teach junior lawyers business development skills."

Developing Business on an International Scale

Globalization is reshaping the business of law, research indicates. Sixty-three per cent of lawyers surveyed ranked Asia as the leading geographic region where law firms plan to open an office outside the United States, followed by Europe (fifty per cent) and Latin America (twenty-five per cent). As markets and opportunities develop in fast-growing economies such as Asia, where the demand for lawyers currently outpaces the supply, many law firms are looking to expand in these regions. Firms that have established practices overseas are either enhancing operations or opening additional offices in those countries.

Volkert noted that as legal clients conduct more business abroad, law firms will continue to be challenged to successfully develop and manage an international presence. "To operate on a 24/7 basis around the globe, provide superior levels of service and ensure responsiveness to client demands, law firms are relying on improved technology and communication," Volkert said. "Many firms outsource document production, while others consolidate administrative or technology functions to avoid redundancy of services."

Legal Departments After Sarbanes-Oxley

For corporate legal departments within publicly traded companies, the new century has been characterized by ongoing attention to regulatory matters. More than one-quarter of in-house lawyers surveyed for the study said compliance and regulatory issues represent their legal department's single greatest business challenge. Volkert noted that as a result, many legal departments have experienced fundamental structural changes. For example, some organizations have set up separate compliance divisions, while others rely on chief compliance officers to ensure their companies stay abreast of current regulations.

To order a complimentary copy of the complete white paper, or for more information on the Future Law Office project, please visit www.futurelawoffice.com.

About Robert Half Legal

Robert Half Legal provides law firms and corporate legal departments with project and full-time professionals including lawyers, law clerks, paralegals and legal support personnel. Robert Half Legal offers online job search services at www.roberthalflegal.com.

For further information: or to speak with a local expert, contact: Robert Half Legal, Contact: Jason Chapman, (416) 365-3153 extension 245, jason.chapman@rhi.com

Source: newswire

All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.