I recently attended this year's ALA Expo, and one session spotlighted the urgency of this transformation: “Legal Support in 2030: Will Your Firm Be Ready?”, hosted by BigHand’s Director of Solutions Management Duska Frink. Industry leaders unpacked the operational shifts law firms are making to keep up with market and client demands and, while their predictions were compelling, the underlying issue resonated most with me: law firms need better ways of managing change.
Missing Buy-In and the Cost of Doing Nothing
BigHand’s latest research, drawn from over 800 legal professionals, shows a clear move toward modern support models. The number of firms using centralized or team-based support structures has nearly tripled in the last year. More firms are implementing task tracking, retraining staff, and adjusting lawyer-to-secretary ratios to reflect new working realities.
Yet, many are still stuck. I’ve seen it firsthand with firms we partner with. They make smart strategic decisions, invest in new tech, and roll out new processes, only to face resistance, low adoption, or stalled progress. Why? Because the buy-in was never there. That’s not a technology problem - that’s a change management problem.
One key concept that came up during the session, and that I return to often in my own work, is the ADKAR model of change management: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement. It’s a reminder that transformation hinges on how we help people move through that change. Awareness of the reason. Desire to engage. Knowledge to participate. Ability to implement. Reinforcement to sustain. Firms that skip these stages often find their initiatives fall flat.
The cost of poor change management in legal support is showing up across the industry:
- 31% of firms cite increased reliance on lawyers to handle admin tasks.
- 34% report an increased workload on remaining staff.
- 26% report a lack of standardized processes for knowledge transfer.
These metrics extend beyond operational hiccups – they're direct risks to profitability, reputation, and client satisfaction. The clock is ticking and doing nothing is not an option.
Change Management as a Strategic Advantage
Firms that treat change management as a priority are seeing real results. They’re building flexible support teams, upskilling staff, and introducing more junior admin roles to strengthen the pipeline. Crucially, they’re also taking the time to communicate clearly, explain the “why”, and support teams through transition.
This human-first approach encourages early buy-in and accelerates transformation. It’s what turns a software rollout into a return on investment. It’s what makes centralized teams feel empowered, not threatened. When done well, it creates a culture where continuous improvement is the norm - not the exception.
If there’s one thing I took away from the ALA Expo, it’s that firms don’t need to wait for the perfect strategy or platform to begin evolving. What they need is to focus on how people experience that evolution. Some practical places to start:
- Start with clarity: Explain the “why” behind the change. Not just to leadership, but to everyone it touches.
- Prioritize visibility: Use task management and productivity tools to understand how work is really getting done.
- Design with empathy: Support staff are not just resources - they are critical to firm performance and client experience.
- Upskill and invest: Change becomes easier when people feel equipped, valued, and developed.
Yes, change is hard, but it doesn’t have to be chaotic. With the right approach, it can become a competitive edge.
