Editorial
Welcome to Mattern Matters, the newsletter of Mattern. My name is Rob Mattern, and I am the founder and president.
In reviewing the contents of this newsletter, I can honestly say that it is probably the most well-rounded, informative edition we have ever put together.
We start with a great article by Mattern Consultant, Nathan Curtis, IGP on Administrative Services and Technology which highlights how the use and adoption of technology combined with the hybrid work environment has forced administrative services to change.
Next up are the results from our Administrative Flash survey. How do you think firms rated themselves on the success of their re-structured administrative services? I think you will be surprised.
Technology and Legal Administrative Services: The Traditional Model is Gone
By Mattern Consultant Nathan Curtis, IGP
This article appeared in Legaltech News
Hybrid operations might be here to stay—but they are also continuously evolving. While the majority (86%) of attorneys want to continue remote work arrangements, firms that try to mandate specific days for their RTO only achieve a 49% compliance rate. Cushman & Wakefield reports that 75% of firms will be trying some form of hoteling, but law firms are challenged to then drive the collaboration and networking that makes in-office work meaningful. All of this plays out in the hottest lateral market on record, where some firms are experiencing up to a 25% attrition rate.
2023 Administrative Support Flash Survey Results
Tackling changes in administrative support and optimizing for hybrid operations is one of the top challenges firms now face. While most firms (89%) have restructured their administrative support, it may come as a surprise how firms are rating their overall success and the obstacles they continue to face. Mattern decided to investigate in a flash survey earlier this year.
Expense Right-Sizing In a Challenging Economy
By Mattern President Rob Mattern
This article appeared in ALM/Law Journal Newsletters publication
The economic outlook for firms heading into 2023 is, as we know, challenging. By the end of 2022, there was substantial slowing in demand growth, so much so that overall demand contracted by 0.1% by the end of the year, according to the latest data from Thomson Reuters. Transactional work was falling off and clients started pulling more work in-house, placing considerable strain on law firm financials which, quite frankly, were already under pressure from a 24-month long war for talent that resulted in the highest associate pay increases on record and ensuing increase in overhead.
Mattern Helps Am Law 200 Firm Enhance Value of Off-Site Records Contract with Ongoing Contract Compliance
This Am Law 200 firm with 312 attorneys in 18 offices engaged Mattern in 2014 to analyze and make recommendations to improve the firm’s off-site records and ultimately lead a Request for Proposal (RFP) process and contract negotiation. As a result, Mattern was able to identify a strategy to consolidate the firm’s six (6) service providers to one (1).
Pleased with their significantly improved off-site records contract, leadership engaged Mattern to continue to monitor the implementation of the contract and ensure the firm is realizing the full value of the new contract—a service Mattern calls Phase III – Contract Compliance.
Mattern Establishes Information Governance Program and Restructures Off-site Records Storage Contracts to Ease Destruction and Improve Costs for a 28% Savings
Headquartered in the Midwest, this 193-attorney law firm with 9 offices had just completed a conversion to Thomson Reuters’ 3E. The next hurdle for firm leadership was the deployment of an Information Governance (IG) program addressing both their paper and electronic records as well as improving the firm’s off-site records storage contract. After meeting Rob Mattern at an industry show and attending a number of Mattern information sessions focusing on implementable IG polices and retention schedules, the firm selected Mattern to lead the analysis.
