The latest round of redundancy news stories to hit the legal sector media are mirrored by a sharp rise in the number of solicitors considering moving away from traditional firms and towards ‘virtual’ firms (www.scomo.com), where consultants manage their own time and clients, and where they retain a hefty 70% of all their billed fees.
Whatever the size of the firm, the redundancy rounds hit hard. Some of the firms considering redundancies are almost household names, such as Slater & Gordon, but most slip under the radar. The effect on fee earners is the same: it’s a time to re-assess one’s career values and direction.