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Lawyers and Accountants 2019 -
CHAPTER 14 Multidisciplinary Organizations (MDOs), the Competitive Alternative
to the Big 5
Multidisciplinary services are here to stay. The Big 5 professional service firms are able to offer legal services
in more than 150 countries directly from their offices. They have also formed networks. Combined, they now
have 8,000 attorneys practicing law.
What alternatives does the independent professional service firm have? Are the only alternatives to either:
(1) join an MDP, (2) become an MDP or (3) confine practice to litigation where MDPs may not practice?
This chapter discusses how service providers of all sizes will be able to offer the full range of services through
Multidisciplinary Organizations (MDOs). In an MDO, professional service providers maintain their
independence but geometrically expand their referral base and gain access to the full range of services to
offer clients. The chapter will also analyze how large independent service providers, such as law, consulting
and accounting firms, can create an organization to compete directly with the Big 5.
47
CHAPTER 14 Multidisciplinary Organizations (MDOs), the Competitive Alternative
to the Big 5
Multidisciplinary services are here to stay. The Big 5 professional service firms are able to offer legal services
in more than 150 countries directly from their offices. They have also formed networks. Combined, they now
have 8,000 attorneys practicing law.
What alternatives does the independent professional service firm have? Are the only alternatives to either:
(1) join an MDP, (2) become an MDP or (3) confine practice to litigation where MDPs may not practice?
This chapter discusses how service providers of all sizes will be able to offer the full range of services through
Multidisciplinary Organizations (MDOs). In an MDO, professional service providers maintain their
independence but geometrically expand their referral base and gain access to the full range of services to
offer clients. The chapter will also analyze how large independent service providers, such as law, consulting
and accounting firms, can create an organization to compete directly with the Big 5.
47
