Legal Operations - the Shape of Things to Come

What's next for in-house legal teams?

With many organisations publicly committing to radically adjusting their wider operations in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, there are tremendous opportunities for ambitious law department leaders to use the experience gained to future proof their teams’ operating models.

In-house legal teams are grappling with how to embed new and often radically different operating models that blend digital technologies, alongside increased stakeholder demands for flexible working, and shifting sentiment in terms of the role offices play in collaboration and innovation.

In our new legal operations white paper, produced in association with OMC Partners, we explore the range of approaches that law department leaders intend to implement across a number of themes over the next 12 to 18 months.

Download the white paper and contact a member of our team to discuss the findings in more detail.

Key findings

Our report found that three quarters of those surveyed expect no growth in headcount, while more than 60 per cent of participants have realigned their legal operating model to reflect strategic changes made by their organisations.

More than 40 per cent of respondents plan to reduce spend by almost a third, while 64 per cent of respondents expect workload increases of up to 30 per cent.

Given this dynamic, balancing peaks and troughs in demand across business units and advisory areas presents unique problems for law departments unable to flex rigidly focused resourced.

Law departments - and their law firms - are therefore rebalancing their operating models to reflect this new environment, as well as meeting employee demands for flexible working.

Our findings report that three quarters of participants plan to revisit their use of office space. In addition, around 30 per cent of respondents are considering adding Legal Operations Managers roles, while 50 per cent of teams anticipate enhancing their team's skill sets.

Our findings are based on a mix of anonymised survey data and more than 50 one-to-one conversations over recent months. Learn more by downloading the report below.