It's been five years since Mitch Zuklie took the helm at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. What's surprised him most, he says, is the pace of change.

On this week's Legal Speak podcast, we check in with Zuklie to hear what it's been like to lead a major law firm amid industrywide disruption and what he sees from his vantage.

Zuklie, who came up as a transactional lawyer in Silicon Valley, talks about Orrick's approach to innovation, the impact of #MeToo, and why raising associate salaries is the wrong prescription for attracting young lawyers.

“If we're going to convince the best talent to choose and stay in Big Law … we need to change the model,” Zuklie says. “We need to be more flexible in our work. We need to be more thoughtful about career paths that enable men and women to raise families.”

There's also revamping legal education, and maybe the biggest challenge of all: “We've got to get back in some way to a sense that this is a profession and not just a business.”

Listen to the podcast above or find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Libsyn.

Legal Speak is brought to you by Econ One, offering economic expertise, consulting and dispute resolution, and data analytics.