Lawyers must tire of the unfavourable comparisons made between their profession and counterparts in the bean-counting and consultancy professions. The law is typically characterised as being years behind accountants and management consultants in terms of the technology they use, the way they manage themselves and the speed with which they adapt to market changes.
For those supporting lawyers in their jobs, however, such comparisons are more welcome. The clout IT professionals enjoy in many professional and financial services firms has meant law firms have had to stand up and take note. The result? Many IT directors and chief information officers at the top 100 law firms in the UK claim to be enjoying improved status, and are taking more control of strategic directions of law firms.
