Slides from Mark Lassiter of LexProjex's Darwin Talk from May 24, 2016 in Los Angeles

1. The End of Big Law Firms?
Rethinking Legal Services Delivery Models
in the 21st Century
Presenter
Mark Lassiter, Attorney, Arbitrator, Mediator
The Lassiter Law Firm, Lex Projex™

3. Let’s break it down…
Why do we
have law firms
anyway?

4. Reasons why law firms arose…
Physical Location
w/Means of
Production
Knowledge,
Mentoring &
Collegiality
Administration
& Support
Got
Work?
BRAND

5. Do You Really Need a Law
Firm for…
• Administration & Support?
– Law Librarian?
– Receptionist?
• Physical Location for Means of Production?
– Phones?
– Computers?
– Dictation & Transcription?
• Mentoring & Knowledge Management?
• Got Work?
– Now THAT’s the only remaining question…

6. Latter 20th Century Law Firm
‘Pyramid’ Economic Model

7. Equity Partners
Jr. Partners
Associates???
Early 21st Century Law Firm
‘Diamond’ Economic Model

8. The Next “Shape” for “Big
Law Firms?

9. Let’s break it down…
Source: Jeff Carr
What do
Lawyers &
Law Firms
Really Do?

10. Historic law firm essential services
Advocacy
Counseling
& Advice
Content
Processes
Source: Jeff Carr

11. Advocacy
Counseling
& Advice
Content
Processes
The “Unbundling” of Legal Services
Source: Jeff Carr

12. The Modern Dilemma - A
Lawyer’s Competing Demands…
Law Firm
Increase firm/own
income by
generating work
done by firm’s
own employees?
Outsource work to
non-firm workers
who can do it
better, faster,
cheaper?
Clients

13. The inherent conflict between the best
interests of the ‘Firm’ and of the ‘Client’
Law Firm wants to
keep its traditional,
‘Pyramid’ or
‘Diamond’ way of
doing business…
Client wants VALUE
– doesn’t care about
preserving the Law
Firm’s ‘structure’
How will this
inherent tension
play out?

14. Alternatives to Law Firms?…
[A lawyer could] … become an exquisitely
talented maestro of assembling just-in-time
teams you put together for one project at a
time, with the precise blend of talents,
capabilities, and capacities to get the job done
and then to disperse (think producing a
Hollywood movie or constructing a major
downtown office) …
MacEwen, Bruce (2012-12-10). Growth is Dead: Now What? Law firms on the
brink (Kindle Locations 1958-1976). Adam Smith, Esq., LLC. Kindle Edition.

15. “Just in Time Teams”?…
Alternatives to Law Firms?…

16. Alternative 21st Century
Legal Services Delivery Model?

18. Mark E. Lassiter
Direct: 480-218-4455
Email: Mark@lexprojex.com
@MarkELassiter

19. * From Jordan Furlong Book –
EVOLUTIONARY ROAD, Pg. 14
Great quote from Legal Analyst & Thought Leader
Jordan Furlong about what new, small firms will start to
look like in about 2016*

20. “Unbundling” of 21st Century
Legal Services
Lawyers Paralegals Staff
Non-Firm/
Outsourced
Workers
Firm
Employees
Originating or
Responsible Attorney
Future legal teams may be a ‘mixed bag’…
Lawyers Paralegals Staff