Are clients and power shifting from large firms to small firms? If the recent slew of blog posts on this topic are any evidence, it seems that smaller firms are gaining a bigger voice – and a bigger cut of big corporation business. Consider this evidence:
From Justin Patten I learned about this post from Kevin O’Keefe of Lex Blog on what has been termed a legal power shift from large to smaller firms. O’Keefe’s Exhibit A is is Dan Harris, and his China Law Blog, who recently snagged an opportunity to comment from a big firm which needed to get administrative approval for its remarks. Dan Hull of What About Clients picks up on links by exhorting small firms to:
get off your knees, quit bottom-feeding, chuck both your “niche” market
thinking and your work-life balance nonsense (the first 8 to 10 years
for associates, and lawyering done right after that, should be hard
work for even the gifted), steal the good clients, provide outrageous
service and get rich.
And last, this story from law.com, Great Small Firm Employment Lawyers Fly Under the Radar notes that:
there are a great many superb lawyers practicing
outside the headlines at smaller firms all over the state…They may not have the same name
recognition — but they also don’t usually come with the same price tag.
When I started MyShingle back in December 2002, you didn’t see articles like this. Now they’re out there all the time. And as technology continues to improve and enable more solo and small firms to increase efficiencies, expect the power shift to gain even more momentum.
Carolyn, As you say what is underpinning this are the new technologies which act as a huge leveller. It is the manifestation of the principles of Thomas Friedman’s book “The World Is Flat.”
Best wishes,
Justin