For some time now, I have been arguing in this blog that life is changing for us all as a result of the current recession, but that change can be positive for well-positioned (and particularly mid-sized) professional services firms who are ready to capitalise on the opportunities that are currently available.
And so it was rather heartening to read an article on www.law.com entitled 'GCs want firms to change with the times' that was in turn taken from 'The Legal Intelligencer', which supported this view in no uncertain terms. Let me refer you to just a couple of pieces from this article.
Daniel J. DiLucchio Jr. of Altman Weil said every change in law departments is stemming from cost control, and many of the changes are fundamental and long-lasting. "Law departments are really starting to look at regional and midsize firms for a lot of their work," he said. "When that starts to happen, that's fundamental. They're not going to, as soon as things change, switch back. That's not something you do on a whim."
And from the in-house perspective, Texas-based FMC Technologies general counsel Jeffrey Carr said: "I think we're on the cusp of change - and if firms don't change, they're not going to like what results in the end because there are forces in play that are driving change and you can miss the train, you can get on the train or you can get hit by the train, but the train is moving."
Having met Jeff when he spoke at one of the MSI Global Alliance (www.msiglobal.org) conferences recently, it is hard to argue that he has his finger anywhere other than firmly on the pulse of the profession. And with MSI comprising exclusively mid-sized firms, the future is looking bright.
James Mendelssohn (jmendelssohn@msiglobal.org)
www.msiglobal.org
Comments