If you have been involved in a law firm over the past few years, it is likely that you’ve seen a lot of changes. These changes haven’t always been a result of new technology but rather the fact that there is a renewed focus on the delivery of legal services and the need to meet client demand for efficient, cost effective solutions.
These demands are coming from a variety of sources including the need to respond to the heightened scrutiny of companies and individuals by the government and increasing competition from alternative providers (AAPs) who are not only looking to reduce their overhead but also want to offer more value for money for their services. It is also true that the business environment is incredibly fluid and changing rapidly and it is no longer viable for a single company or industry to master all its challenges and opportunities on its own.
This means that a number of industries are now collaborating to tackle the challenges. The pharmaceutical industry collaboration around the development of the Covid-19 vaccine is one obvious example. This type of collaboration is not only a requirement for survival and growth but it can produce great things. For example, we see it in the emergence of joint ventures between major players from different industries like GM, Ford and Honda who collaborate on a range of product development initiatives. The automotive industry also offers a good example of a business model that can be used to help shape a new law.
It is time for the legal industry to embrace collaborative models to better serve clients and society at large. These models will not be based on legacy delivery models but on a customer-centric, purpose driven, data-backed and tech-enabled paradigm that is fueled by output and net promoter score rather than self-congratulatory awards and profit preservation.
The resulting legal industry will be built on integrated platforms that are agile, fluid and staffed by a mix of lawyer and non-lawyer resources with verifiable expertise and experience. The platforms will be secure repositories of information that are designed to be a one-stop shop for legal matters. This will produce a more transparent, accessible, affordable and pragmatic solution for bespoke legal matters that are backed by verifiable data and delivered through a more efficient, cost effective model.
Local Law 13 of 2022
This bill would require the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, in consultation with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, to prepare a notice that City agencies should provide to employees and job applicants regarding the availability of federal and state student loan forgiveness programs. DCWP would also be required to make the notice available to the public.