By Legal Futures Associate Document Direct [1]
Law firm mergers seem to be becoming an increasingly familiar feature of the legal landscape. The headlines tend to focus on growth, scale, new locations and expanded expertise. But once the announcement has been made, the practical work of bringing two firms together begins.
And a law firm merger involves a lot more than changing the name above the door.
Systems need to be integrated. Processes aligned. Teams brought together. New ways of working introduced. At the same time, there is the day-to-day work that still needs to get done.
New templates and house styles. Increased document production. Existing caseloads. Different working practices. And all while continuing to deliver the same level of service to clients.
None of this stops simply because a merger is taking place.
For business support teams, that can create a significant additional workload at precisely the point when they are already being asked to adapt to new systems, structures and responsibilities.
Does a temporary challenge need a permanent solution?
Traditionally, additional workload might have meant recruiting more people. But where the increased demand is associated with a period of transition, adding permanent headcount may not be the most appropriate answer.
The challenge may last several months, affect only certain departments or fluctuate considerably as different stages of the integration are completed.
This is where flexible specialist resource can become particularly valuable.
Rather than trying to absorb every peak internally, firms can bring additional capacity into their existing operation when and where it is required.
That might mean transcription support while teams are being reorganised, additional document production resource as templates and house styles change, or simply extra capacity to prevent everyday work from building up while internal teams concentrate on the merger.
Building flexibility into the transition
At Document Direct, we already work as an extension of law firms’ internal teams, providing transcription and document production support on a flexible basis.
That model can be particularly useful during periods of organisational change because firms can increase or reduce support in line with demand, without adding permanent resource.
It also means internal teams can concentrate on the work that genuinely needs their knowledge and involvement, while appropriate day-to-day document tasks continue to move.
There will always be significant strategic and operational considerations when two law firms come together. But maintaining sufficient support capacity shouldn’t become another obstacle to a successful transition.
After all, while the firm is changing, the client work doesn’t stop.
Document Direct provides 24/7/365 transcription and document production support to law firms, offering flexible specialist resource as part of a more efficient operating model.