I often describe our firm as small but mighty. We, as of the date of writing this Blog, are a three-lawyer, one licensed paralegal, three law clerks and an HR Manager firm.
Of course, a small firm doesn’t mean it’s not a better firm.
We act for large multinational clients on both transactional and litigation matters, frequently starting off that relationship by being asked to provide a second opinion on a large firm’s work that ends up being better and less expensive than the big firm’s opinion.
To that point, I note that my current hourly rate, after 32 + years of being Called to the Bar is $400.00 per hour. This is $75.00 per hour less than the big firms are billing their articling students out at – let that sink in if you think a big firm is giving you value.
In addition to being less expensive and offering the same or better quality of work, our firm can resolve conflicts in minutes, not weeks. This is a very big issue for clients using large firms, particularly when the client needs quick representation, but the firm cannot clear the conflict quickly enough.
AI has also stepped up to be an equalizer in terms of the ability of small firms to review large volumes of data and often, because of the experience of our lawyers, our search terms are more accurate than those used by very junior lawyers at large firms who are tasked with those roles.
If you’re using a big firm and wondering if you need to, reach out. We’re happy to give an honest opinion of how we can help.
Inga B. Andriessen, Managing Lawyer