Page 183 - 2019 - Leaders in Legal Business (n)
P. 183
1. Experienced Consultants — The Big 4 have extensive business and
management consulting practices with arguably the best professionals in the field.
They provide a perspective into legal services which will inherently be grounded
in business and tend to offer solutions to problems that contemplate the end
business goals. They are experts in all kinds of operations and will naturally focus
on efficiency and practical application of theory. Even if I would not have known
to ask for this perspective, the Big 4 will always provide it. That kind of experience
is priceless for the legal experts buying these services, who may not know that they
even need such operational insights.
2. Process Engineers — With an expertise in management consulting, these
professionals will undoubtedly and inevitably identify process improvements. After
all, managing is all about aligning resources and delivering outcomes, isn’t it? In
legal, we desperately need to rethink our allocation of resources. Much of what the
industry is going through today is about changing engagements with law firms,
adding new professionals into our mix, and outsourcing certain legal work. As
challenging as that is for legal professionals to consider and implement, it is very
easy for management consultants. Similarly, the focus on outcomes is never lost on
management consultants, yet is it often lost on lawyers. Too many lawyers think
that the outcome is the production of the legal advice, in whatever format. Helping
lawyers focus on outcomes is another priceless benefit the Big 4 bring to every
engagement.
3. Project Managers — There is no more beautiful deliverable than a piece of work
product delivered by a professional project manager. Beyond just the actual
deliverable, all work and engagements run smoother with a project manager
involved. People are kept on track, timelines are strict, and action items are
carefully tracked. The Big 4 are very comfortable with engaging project managers
and make it a common practice on many of their consulting engagements.
4. Established Trusted Relationships — The Big 4 know how to deal with big
enterprises. They understand the complexities and (well, let’s call it what it is)
the politics of working with a matrixed organization with unclear decision-making
authority and undefined processes. Beyond just understanding corporate culture,
the Big 4 already have deep relationships with most large US and global companies.
They likely have very useful contacts within the organization that may prove quite
helpful when trying to accomplish a controversial goal or execute on an unpopular
plan. Often these “outsiders” have contacts within the client organization at higher
levels than those they are engaging with in the client company on any one particular
project. Sometimes those connections help get projects over the finish line.
5. Proven Results — The demonstrated success in tax law services has set a
foundation for expansion into legal services that is grounded in experience on very
complicated legal principles. Surely, if the Big 4 can become experts in tax law,
they can deliver just about any other legal service!
168
management consulting practices with arguably the best professionals in the field.
They provide a perspective into legal services which will inherently be grounded
in business and tend to offer solutions to problems that contemplate the end
business goals. They are experts in all kinds of operations and will naturally focus
on efficiency and practical application of theory. Even if I would not have known
to ask for this perspective, the Big 4 will always provide it. That kind of experience
is priceless for the legal experts buying these services, who may not know that they
even need such operational insights.
2. Process Engineers — With an expertise in management consulting, these
professionals will undoubtedly and inevitably identify process improvements. After
all, managing is all about aligning resources and delivering outcomes, isn’t it? In
legal, we desperately need to rethink our allocation of resources. Much of what the
industry is going through today is about changing engagements with law firms,
adding new professionals into our mix, and outsourcing certain legal work. As
challenging as that is for legal professionals to consider and implement, it is very
easy for management consultants. Similarly, the focus on outcomes is never lost on
management consultants, yet is it often lost on lawyers. Too many lawyers think
that the outcome is the production of the legal advice, in whatever format. Helping
lawyers focus on outcomes is another priceless benefit the Big 4 bring to every
engagement.
3. Project Managers — There is no more beautiful deliverable than a piece of work
product delivered by a professional project manager. Beyond just the actual
deliverable, all work and engagements run smoother with a project manager
involved. People are kept on track, timelines are strict, and action items are
carefully tracked. The Big 4 are very comfortable with engaging project managers
and make it a common practice on many of their consulting engagements.
4. Established Trusted Relationships — The Big 4 know how to deal with big
enterprises. They understand the complexities and (well, let’s call it what it is)
the politics of working with a matrixed organization with unclear decision-making
authority and undefined processes. Beyond just understanding corporate culture,
the Big 4 already have deep relationships with most large US and global companies.
They likely have very useful contacts within the organization that may prove quite
helpful when trying to accomplish a controversial goal or execute on an unpopular
plan. Often these “outsiders” have contacts within the client organization at higher
levels than those they are engaging with in the client company on any one particular
project. Sometimes those connections help get projects over the finish line.
5. Proven Results — The demonstrated success in tax law services has set a
foundation for expansion into legal services that is grounded in experience on very
complicated legal principles. Surely, if the Big 4 can become experts in tax law,
they can deliver just about any other legal service!
168
