While the Big Four hasn’t been shy lately about hiring talent with backgrounds working at alternative legal service providers (ALSPs), that path may be turning into a two-way street as the competition to address legal department needs around digital transformation intensifies. However, while some ALSPs may not see themselves as directly competing against the Big Four for business, they may inevitably wind up jockeying for access for the same limited talent pool.

Some legal veterans already made the journey from one corner of the industry to the other. For instance, Deloitte’s Legal Business Services practice spent much of 2020 lining its ranks with talent hailing from ALSPs such as Integreon, Luminance and Elevate. Meanwhile, UnitedLex announced earlier this week that the company had made five management-level hires with Big Four experience.