The Business Climate in Legal Appears to be Improving; Pricing, Cybersecurity and Operational Efficiency Among the Top Challenges Facing Law Firms
ATLANTA – May 16, 2018 – The legal business climate is improving but law firms still feel pressured on pricing and operational efficiency, according to a new study published today by Aderant. The 2018 Aderant Business of Law and Legal Technology Survey finds that more than half of all respondents said business is “better” or “much better” than it was in the last 12 months. While growth is welcome, the study suggests law firms are still wrestling with familiar and perhaps, recurring challenges.
The survey found the top five challenges facing law firms are: pricing, cybersecurity, operational efficiency, technology adoption and competition. Among respondents polled from US firms, cybersecurity jumped from sixth place in this survey the previous year to tie for the top spot with pricing in 2018.
Most respondents (61%) say it takes their firm a week or longer to publish client invoices, which is a classic example of the efficiency challenges in a traditional law firm. While about half (48%) say their firms spends too much time billing and invoicing, they also noted speed bumps stem from both sides of the table. For example, respondents suggested their firm struggles with e-billing (56%) and outside counsel guidelines (46%) as corporate clients have increasingly used these vehicles to reign in legal spending.
“Our assessment is that law firms have seen topline benefits from the improving economic conditions, but some haven’t made the structural changes to improve operational efficiency necessary to see that flow down to the bottom line,” says Aderant Executive Vice President Chris Cartrett. “Consequently, the traditional challenges haven’t been resolved even while new challenges like cybersecurity arise to eat at the margins. Law firms should seize this period of economic optimism as an opportunity to challenge the status quo and transform their firm for the future.”
A summary of survey results is available on the Aderant Think Tank: Renewed Optimism in Legal Services Yields New Law Firm Challenges on Top of the Old. The survey was conducted in late March and early April of 2018 and poled 138 business of law and legal professionals from around the world. The vast majority of respondents hold business of law, legal technology, or related legal professional in a role other than that of a practicing attorney. This included C-suite staff, financial or accounting staff, IT personnel, and other important functions essential to running a law firm, and as such, respondents have a unique perspective on the inner workings of the legal business.
About Aderant ®
Aderant, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a global industry leader in providing comprehensive business management software for law firms and other professional services organizations. Aderant is a market leader in technology solutions for practice and financial management, knowledge management, business intelligence, matter planning, calendaring and docketing. Aderant is an established and trusted partner due to its versatile and innovative technology solutions, superior customer support and reliable implementation process. Aderant operates as a unit of Roper Technologies, a constituent of the S&P 500®, Fortune 1000® and the Russell 1000® indices.
Craig Dekshenieks
Aderant Public Relations
craig.dekshenieks@aderant.com
+1 678-392-2495