MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 20 LAWFUEL – The Law News Network — Robert Half Legal, a legal staffing service specializing in attorneys, paralegals and other highly skilled legal professionals, announced the availability of a just-released
white paper titled “Client Service: Challenges and Strategies,” as part of its
continuing Future Law Office project. The report’s key findings emphasize the
impact of service levels on law firm profitability and illustrate how law
offices are developing strategies for better supervision of client
relationships. The research also highlights new management trends, including
the implementation of formal marketing and sales programs by law firms, a
practice once banned in the industry, and the evolving role of corporate legal
departments since the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
For its annual Future Law Office project, Robert Half Legal periodically
commissions surveys of attorneys and legal administrators, interviews leading
experts and conducts extensive research to determine how law offices will
operate in the coming years. The results are available at
http://www.futurelawoffice.com.
“Increased competition among law firms, heightened client expectations and
ongoing corporate governance requirements are having a profound impact on the
legal profession,” said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half
Legal. “Law offices of all sizes are diversifying practice areas,
streamlining communications and utilizing technology to become more
efficient.”
From Legal Technicians to Business Counselors
“Research conducted for the Future Law Office project shows many law firms
are re-evaluating their business strategies in order to become customer-
centric and generate additional revenue,” Volkert said. Ninety percent of law
firm attorneys polled reported they were utilizing mentoring and coaching
methods to enhance their team’s focus on client service, while 88 percent said
they were implementing technical tools or training employees to maximize
technology.
“Firms are sharing more information across practice groups, hiring chief
marketing officers and conducting research to improve service offerings,”
Volkert added. He noted that attorneys also are familiarizing themselves with
their clients’ current business challenges in order to provide customized
legal guidance. “Some attorneys are pursuing MBAs to help fulfill their roles
as legal counselors and business advisors.”
New Mandates for Corporate Legal Departments
Legal departments have undergone dramatic changes in the post-Sarbanes-
Oxley era as executives and boards of directors look to corporate attorneys
for proactive, preventative counseling and risk management. “In the coming
years, legal departments will assume a prominent role in business management,”
Volkert said. “In-house counsel will oversee policy development to ensure an
organization’s financial reporting meets legal standards and complies with
corporate governance regulations.”
Research conducted by Robert Half Legal indicates that issues stemming
from Sarbanes-Oxley will continue to create new responsibilities for legal
departments as well as service opportunities for their law firms. Forty-one
percent of corporate attorneys surveyed for the study indicated their law
offices have increased work with outside counsel in the last 12 months. “Many
legal departments are restructuring to better serve other business units
throughout the corporation,” Volkert said. “The most sought-after qualities
for today’s corporate counsel include business acumen; accessibility and
credibility; prosecutorial backgrounds; and a knowledge of how government
works on local, state and national levels.”
About Robert Half Legal
Robert Half Legal provides law firms and corporate legal departments with
project and full-time professionals including attorneys, paralegals and legal
support personnel. Robert Half Legal offers online job search services at
http://www.roberthalflegal.com. To order a complimentary copy of the complete white
paper, or for more information on the Future Law Office project, please visit
http://www.futurelawoffice.com.
Web Site: http://www.rhii.com
