In the Greek myth, Scylla and Charybdis were maritime hazards located close enough to each other that avoiding one meant passing too close to the other and falling victim to its dangers. This is not so unlike the increasing number of challenges set before law firm leaders as they try to navigate through what seems to be an increasingly perilous landscape rife with opposing hazards.

It is more expensive to operate a law firm than ever before, but demand and productivity are declining. To compensate and maintain profitability, rates are increasing, but Chief Legal Officers (CLOs) — under tremendous budgetary pressure — have set reducing outside counsel spend, right sizing legal services and cost minimization as top strategic objectives in 2023. See, 2023 ACC CLO Survey.