In the last post I wrote a piece about how change in legal was going to be a generation away. Going against the conference talks and legal press zeitgeist, I said that there was nothing I could see that was going to bring a revolution in law firms anytime soon.
Then a colleague asked “Don’t you think clients will force the change sooner?” Hmm, this got me thinking. Will the clients push a change in the market?
Well I’ve thought about this a little since and thought I’d use a Susskind story to show why I’m saying “No”.
Susskind uses the story about training inside power tool manufacturer Black & Decker to show how lawyers need to think of different delivery methods/processes. The B&D employees are shown a power drill and asked, “This is what we sell, isn’t it?” The staff reply, “Of course,” they are then shown a hole drilled in a wall. “No, this is what our customers want. Your job is to find ever more creative ways to give our customers what they want.”
It’s a great story, but not if you stop to think about it some more. I mean I still use a drill, just like my dad did and his dad before him. Why? Because it’s the best way of getting a hole! And I think that it the case in corporate law, the client is getting satisfactory holes. Sure they’d like it cheaper, but this is happening, costs are going down (see last post).
But to back up my previous post. I suspect, like when I’m shopping for a drill, there is a point where a price gets so low it starts alarm bells ringing. “Is this cheap thing going to last?”, “I’d be better getting the Bosch wouldn’t I, not sure that cheap store brand will drill through what I want”. At this point the client will start to accept the costs.
So I’ve considered the client and still think as my last post, big change in legal is a generation away!
A follow up to Big change in legal is a generation away! http://t.co/BfHu5UFOqs
When will big change come to the law business? Maybe not so soon says @jasonmoyse in thoughtful observations http://t.co/hE9EN7eto3
NOT MY SUGGESTION! MT @peterdlederer When will big change come to law business? Maybe not so soon says @jasonmoyse http://t.co/dcG10USxfe
@peterdlederer I’m Jason Moyse not Jason Plant @planty As for me-my mission is to live the change today.See http://t.co/Ym0zVIRF1f I cowrote
I find myself disagreeing with Susskind on the Black & Decker drill v hole theory. Yes the ultimate purpose of the drill is to produce the hole. But there are many other purposes for that drill that aren’t dependent on the hole result. There is the aesthetic–wow, this drill looks great and look at all the attachments it has; there is the identification with brand–wow, I’ve bought a Bosch or DeWalt drill just like the big guys use; there is the masculine aspect–wow, I’ve bought a drill so I’m a man who can do DIY. I ain’t no wimp. And so on. Some clients buy lawyers in the same way….
@JohnAFlood like in IT. “No one got fired for buying IBM”, then Oracle, then……
RT @peterdlederer: When will big change come to the law business? Maybe not so soon says @jasonmoyse in thoughtful observations http://t.co…
The time is changing. The mentality of human is also changing with time. Now you can’t run your firm with your old method. You need to change your law firm with the changing time. Your post will definitely give us some idea about this. Thanks for sharing this such a useful post with us.
It is good to see your post in focussing the future trend, definitely must update in their own field.
regards
SSK Law Firm