Debbie Epstein Henry – författare

Legal services providers today need to innovate in their business models, delivery methods, and moreover in their value propositions in order to compete against competition coming in all shapes and sizes (and from unexpected quarters).New Directions in Legal Services examines the fast pace of change in the legal services sector, driven in part by new technologies, and considers what the future holds. We also look at some examples of new business models and service delivery methods that are disrupting the market, and the new approaches to pricing and profitability that are necessary to support new ways of working and delivering legal services. With research, insight and real world case studies from law firm leaders, NewLaw pioneers, in-house counsels, academics, consultants, and legal futurists New Directions in Legal Services covers:The impact of technology on the traditional law firm business model New business models altering the legal services landscape, driven by AI and emerging technologiesMoving beyond AI and CC, what is the next big thing for legal services?How Design Thinking can be applied to legal service designThe evolving legal talent poolRethinking pricing and profitability to support new ways of delivering legal servicesUmbrella models for law firmsUnbundling legal services and new options for in-house teamsLaw firm-client collaboration through the managed legal networkBusiness model innovation - Implementing and sustaining changeThe message to the legal sector could not be clearer: innovate or die. New Directions in Legal Services clearly outlines how individuals, law firms, and legal departments are accepting the challenge and are innovating alongside the New Law service providers that have taken root in the industry to provide a growing array of options for lawyers and clients

Pandemics bring the world to a standstill. All economies are based on confidence, yet during and after a pandemic, uncertainty and fear abound. The entire professional services sector the world over - which includes law firms, accounting firms, brokerages, consulting firms, etc. - are cash-based, people-centric, and relationship-driven businesses. The rapid changes to relationships - both professional and personal - caused by a pandemic are structural and deep. The definition of "business as usual" is altered, and all professional services providers need to adapt and change quickly to respond to the new ways that employees, clients, and everyone else will behave, communicate, buy, and use their services in the future. The speed at which information travels will not slow down.

Pandemics bring the world to a standstill. All economies are based on confidence, yet during and after a pandemic, uncertainty and fear abound. The entire professional services sector the world over - which includes law firms, accounting firms, brokerages, consulting firms, etc. - are cash-based, people-centric, and relationship-driven businesses. The rapid changes to relationships - both professional and personal - caused by a pandemic are structural and deep. The definition of "business as usual" is altered, and all professional services providers need to adapt and change quickly to respond to the new ways that employees, clients, and everyone else will behave, communicate, buy, and use their services in the future. The speed at which information travels will not slow down.

Although women comprise nearly half of all law students and incoming associates at law firms, and have done so for many years, they remain greatly outnumbered by men at senior levels. If nothing is done to change this trend, the percentage of women equity partners will remain under 20 percent for decades to come. Slow progress in gender equality at senior roles raises awkward questions for the industry - and highlights the challenges that women lawyers face when developing their careers. Indeed, at mid-career, when earnings peak, the top 10 percent of female lawyers earn more than $300,000 a year, while the top 10 percent of male lawyers earn more than $500,000. Coupled with this, the number of female equity partners at top US law firms has risen by only five percent in the last 12 years. Although women comprise 47 percent of associate ranks at law firms, female lawyers make up only 31 percent of those entering the equity partnership class. This book is for women, by women - to help female lawyers progress their careers in an industry still struggling with gender equality. Written by outstanding women lawyers in their respective fields, each contribution takes a personal and professional view of the legal sector, providing insight and analysis of issues as diverse as flexible working, portfolio careers, unconscious bias and the modern career trajectory. The book is split into four sections, and begins with the results of original research undertaken by ARK Group in early 2019. Surveying 100 women lawyers from across the globe, we asked women at all stages in their careers to open up about their experiences, from recruitment to retirement, and the challenges - and opportunities - that being female has brought. The results make for interesting, and perhaps surprising, reading.

Although women comprise nearly half of all law students and incoming associates at law firms, and have done so for many years, they remain greatly outnumbered by men at senior levels. If nothing is done to change this trend, the percentage of women equity partners will remain under 20 percent for decades to come. Slow progress in gender equality at senior roles raises awkward questions for the industry - and highlights the challenges that women lawyers face when developing their careers. Indeed, at mid-career, when earnings peak, the top 10 percent of female lawyers earn more than $300,000 a year, while the top 10 percent of male lawyers earn more than $500,000. Coupled with this, the number of female equity partners at top US law firms has risen by only five percent in the last 12 years. Although women comprise 47 percent of associate ranks at law firms, female lawyers make up only 31 percent of those entering the equity partnership class. This book is for women, by women - to help female lawyers progress their careers in an industry still struggling with gender equality. Written by outstanding women lawyers in their respective fields, each contribution takes a personal and professional view of the legal sector, providing insight and analysis of issues as diverse as flexible working, portfolio careers, unconscious bias and the modern career trajectory. The book is split into four sections, and begins with the results of original research undertaken by ARK Group in early 2019. Surveying 100 women lawyers from across the globe, we asked women at all stages in their careers to open up about their experiences, from recruitment to retirement, and the challenges - and opportunities - that being female has brought. The results make for interesting, and perhaps surprising, reading.

Research suggests that there are gender differences in business development. Regardless of industry, women tend to develop relationships for the intrinsic value of those relationships, while men do so for the potential yield those relationships may bring. Men approach prospects with the goal of obtaining business, whilst women''s goal is to build ties. A gross generalization? Maybe. But the fact is, there are still far more men in partnership and leadership roles than women, and business development - the people you know, your order book, and your ranking within an organization - is key to that. The book features multiple contributions from women across the globe, looking at the skills and techniques, experiences and talents that female lawyers use to develop their practices and grow their order books, acting as both inspiration and motivation to its readers. Developing successful, authentic, out-of-the-box business development strategies in a largely male-dominated profession is a challenge for many women lawyers. Where many senior partners have developed business by playing golf or taking their clients for cigars and steaks, women need to find a different way to develop business based upon their own personal interests and strengths.

Legal services providers today need to innovate in their business models, delivery methods, and moreover in their value propositions in order to compete against competition coming in all shapes and sizes (and from unexpected quarters).New Directions in Legal Services examines the fast pace of change in the legal services sector, driven in part by new technologies, and considers what the future holds. We also look at some examples of new business models and service delivery methods that are disrupting the market, and the new approaches to pricing and profitability that are necessary to support new ways of working and delivering legal services. With research, insight and real world case studies from law firm leaders, NewLaw pioneers, in-house counsels, academics, consultants, and legal futurists New Directions in Legal Services covers:The impact of technology on the traditional law firm business model New business models altering the legal services landscape, driven by AI and emerging technologiesMoving beyond AI and CC, what is the next big thing for legal services?How Design Thinking can be applied to legal service designThe evolving legal talent poolRethinking pricing and profitability to support new ways of delivering legal servicesUmbrella models for law firmsUnbundling legal services and new options for in-house teamsLaw firm-client collaboration through the managed legal networkBusiness model innovation - Implementing and sustaining changeThe message to the legal sector could not be clearer: innovate or die. New Directions in Legal Services clearly outlines how individuals, law firms, and legal departments are accepting the challenge and are innovating alongside the New Law service providers that have taken root in the industry to provide a growing array of options for lawyers and clients

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly had a seismic and lasting impact on how the business of law is conducted. Whilst 2020 certainly expedited changes that were already trending – flexible work schedules, fully-remote offices, revised resource allocations, new client expectations – it also forced firms to adopt practices, methodologies, and strategies that pre-COVID they insisted they could not.These changes are not only here to stay but have become the expectation. Law firm attorneys, staff, and indeed clients are no longer interested in a traditional office, nor the practices that typically occurred within them. The modern law firm needs to evolve with both employee and consumer expectations in order to stay abreast with the post-pandemic world.The Post-Pandemic Law Firm looks at how law firms can make a paradigm shift, adopting an entirely new business model that focuses on providing outcomes, outputs, and results to their clients and internally places the wellbeing of their team as a cornerstone to the future long-term success and sustainability of the legal profession. Chapters include changes to business models, virtual and remote working, how the pandemic has affected women in the profession, the future of dispute resolution, M&A activity and changes to pricing models – all authored by highly respected practitioners in the modern legal system.For those law firms leaders and lawyers that realize a ‘return to normal’ is exactly the wrong approach, there is an opportunity to create a brighter future where work–life balance, market innovation, and smart use of technology will define the law firm of the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly had a seismic and lasting impact on how the business of law is conducted. Whilst 2020 certainly expedited changes that were already trending – flexible work schedules, fully-remote offices, revised resource allocations, new client expectations – it also forced firms to adopt practices, methodologies, and strategies that pre-COVID they insisted they could not.These changes are not only here to stay but have become the expectation. Law firm attorneys, staff, and indeed clients are no longer interested in a traditional office, nor the practices that typically occurred within them. The modern law firm needs to evolve with both employee and consumer expectations in order to stay abreast with the post-pandemic world.The Post-Pandemic Law Firm looks at how law firms can make a paradigm shift, adopting an entirely new business model that focuses on providing outcomes, outputs, and results to their clients and internally places the wellbeing of their team as a cornerstone to the future long-term success and sustainability of the legal profession. Chapters include changes to business models, virtual and remote working, how the pandemic has affected women in the profession, the future of dispute resolution, M&A activity and changes to pricing models – all authored by highly respected practitioners in the modern legal system.For those law firms leaders and lawyers that realize a ‘return to normal’ is exactly the wrong approach, there is an opportunity to create a brighter future where work–life balance, market innovation, and smart use of technology will define the law firm of the future.