Littler Mendelson Q: It's no secret that the legal market has fundamentally changed and that the drive for efficiency has put pressure on law firms to evolve how they deliver legal services. In addition to these market shifts, what do you see as the key factors driving the rise of legal operations? Q: As corporate legal departments increasingly operate more like other business departments and enhance operational efficiency, how do you think law firms should change the way they operate to align with these goals? Q: I've long said that law firms need to stop viewing themselves purely as professional service providers and start operating like businesses to respond to client needs and market conditions. At Littler, one of the ways we've tried to do this is by creating positions like mine that focus on the corporate side and working with clients to provide solutions that maximize value. Do you think it's important that law firms have dedicated operational roles to parallel the rise of operations in legal departments? Q: Some law firms may be reluctant to ask clients how they can do things differently and improve efficiency because they're afraid it could ultimately result in fewer billable hours. How do you address that tension with your law firm partners? Q: At Littler, we believe in using scale to benefit our clients. We can invest in things like technology and scale them across clients, whereas a corporate legal department may find it harder to justify the expenditure just for itself. Do you see more firms taking advantage of that? Scott Forman is a shareholder with Littler Mendelson, the world's largest employment and labor law firm representing management, and founder of Littler CaseSmart. He focuses exclusively on developing technology platforms that re-engineer the delivery of legal services and enhance collaboration with clients and within the firm. Forman can be reached at [email protected].