Are law firms Rethinking the status quo in 2020?
In the past, law firms have been known to take a cautious approach toward change.
But, as many realized in 2020, those who maintain the status quo may end up closing their doors.
This is why the legal industry is scrambling to update everything from workflows to hiring and more.
Learn about the most important of those changes right here. 1.
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Are law firms still relevant in a digital world?
The current emphasis on digital automation, freelancing, remote work, and the downturn in the economy is ushering in some major changes for almost every industry.
Law firms are being forced to grapple with how they can remain relevant and profitable in today's digital world.
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Digital Transformation Changes The Legal Field
The legal space is changing fast.
And technology is largely driving these changes.
In fact, one recent report says that 76% of legal proscite tech is one of the key drivers of change in the space.
Automation is one of the key ways legal professionals are using technology to become more efficient.
Documents, research, analysis, transcription, and bi.
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Do in-house lawyers need to update employee policy handbooks in 2022?
Again, for in-house lawyers, this means working with their companies’ HR department to make sure employee policy handbooks are updated to reflect any changes to state law in 2022.
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Firms Emphasize Becoming Recession-Proof
The legal sector has been historically impervious to change, except for during significant economic downturns.
As the American Bar Association says, “Most changes in the profession coincide with downturns or recessions that go way back to the 1960 recession.
Almost every recession has coincided with some significant change in the profession”.
Aug.
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How will 2022 affect in-house counsel & HR professionals?
As much uncertainty continues going into 2022, in-house counsel and HR professionals need to closely monitor all updates and policy changes that pertain to any employment laws and workplace processes.
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Legal Case Volume Continues to Fluctuate
According to a research briefreleased by Clio in September 2020, law practice billing volume was down 11% year-over-year in August 2020.
The brief also showed that states with increased in COVID cases struggled to get their caseloads back up to pre-COVID levels.
Legal case loads are starting to recover.
However, they're still down compared to pre-p.
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Pro Bono Work Continues to Grow
A 2022 report reveals the number of firms with pro bono partners is at an all-time high.
Study results from 2019 showed that the average lawyer spends what would be 60 billable hours per yearon pro bono work.
According to the Pro Bono Institute, overall pro bono hours have largely been on a steady climb since 2015: 4.2 million hours in 2015 to 5.4 .
