Big 4 vs BigLaw Legal Talent

My Tweet (featured below) gave rise to multiple related and robust conversations, especially about the legal talent that BigLaw (large law firms) hire versus the talent that the Big 4 hire. And I suspect that alternative legal service providers align with the Big 4 for purposes of this talent conversation.

The conversations highlighted for me the question of whether the Big 4 can achieve substantially different results, costs, or outcomes by hiring the same legal talent as BigLaw does.

Legal innovation is pyrexial

Legal innovation is pyrexial, the tempo fever is at fever pitch. Ron Friedmann provides evidence and explains why he thinks it’s happening.

Classic: Is BigLaw having its Kodak moment? asked Ron Friedmann

Today’s Classic: Is BigLaw having its Kodak moment? asked Ron Friedmann reminds us of the conundrum with which many observers of the industry continue to wrestle. If the structural changes having a net adverse impact on BigLaw business model firms are real and intensifying, why is there not more evidence of angst amongst BigLaw leaders? Why are relatively few BigLaw firms not taking more determined action to address these forces? Is there widespread denial? Or are the analysts over-stating the situation?   

Ron’s observations made in Is BigLaw having its Kodak moment? in 2016 are worth re-visiting. 

Lessons for Lawyers from a Low Cost Indian Hospital

Ron Friedmann critiques report on Alternative Legal Service Providers

Hard on the heels of Heather Suttie’s No Alternatives Anymore post on Dialogue, Ron Friedmann critiques the recent Georgetown report on Alternative Legal Service Providers 2019.

Perhaps influenced by the subtitle, “Fast Growth, Expanding Use and Increasing Opportunity”, the many articles covering it suggested the findings portend trouble for law firms. I read the report differently.