January 7, 2016

“2016 Report on the State of the Legal Market” From Georgetown Law and Peer Monitor Warns Against Complacency in Changing Law Firm Market

EAGAN, Minn. & WASHINGTON, D.C. – Law firm leaders need to make bold, pro-active changes in how legal services are delivered if firms are to thrive in the rapidly changing legal marketplace. That is among the findings of the “2016 Report on the State of the Legal Market” just issued by The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at Georgetown University Law Center and Thomson Reuters Peer Monitor.

Two thousand fifteen saw a sixth consecutive year of largely flat demand, weakening pricing power and falling productivity. The report notes that since 2008, the law firm market “has changed in significant and fundamental ways.” Clients have assumed active control of the organization, staffing, scheduling, and pricing of legal matters, where previously they had largely left those decisions in the hands of law firms. In addition, competitors, such as alternative legal services providers, accounting firms and consultants, continue to grow market share.

The report suggests that law firms need to shift their focus from growth to market differentiation and profitability. But resistance to change can make it difficult for firms to adopt new strategies such as redesigning work processes, adopting new staffing models or setting new pricing strategies. In addition, many firms are locked into a “billable hour mentality” that inhibits creative alternate approaches to the delivery of legal services.

The report is jointly issued on an annual basis by the Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at Georgetown University Law Center and Thomson Reuters Peer Monitor and reviews the performance of U.S. law firms and considers the changed market realities that drive the need for firms to take a longer-range and more strategic view of their market positions going forward.

“Fundamental shifts such as we have seen in the market for law firm services since 2008 require firms to take a hard look at the long-term viability of operating and pricing models that have worked well in the past but may be at risk in the newly developing market environment,” said James W. Jones, a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of the Legal Profession and one of the report's authors. “Firms that are able to redesign their models to better respond to the changing demands and expectations of their clients will have a substantial long-term competitive advantage.”

“A ‘buyer’s market’ for legal services is bringing increasing demands from clients, more nimble and leaner competitors, and greater pressures for efficiency,” said Mike Abbott, vice president, Client Management & Global Thought Leadership, Thomson Reuters. “The good news is that some firms are already making strategic changes and performing strongly. The imperative is for firms to identify the best strategy for adapting to the rapidly evolving marketplace, given their unique strengths, talent, geographies, and other assets.”

Download the 2016 Report on the State of the Legal Market .

For more information on Peer Monitor, visit http://peermonitor.thomsonreuters.com.

The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at Georgetown Law is devoted to promoting interdisciplinary research on the profession informed by an awareness of the dynamics of modern practice; providing students with a sophisticated understanding of the opportunities and challenges of a modern legal career; and furnishing members of the bar, particularly those in organizational decision-making positions, broad perspectives on trends and developments in practice. More at http://www.law.georgetown.edu/academics/centers-institutes/legal-profession/index.cfm.


Thomson Reuters
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