600+ Hours
Time saved on finding resources at half-year end

 £673,000
Value of hours saved at half-year end

The Solution:

BigHand Resource Management

DLA Piper implemented BigHand Resource Management to enable a more sophisticated operating model. The goal was to connect data and people to deliver better outcomes for the firm’s lawyers and its clients. The platform provides a centralized hub for availability, utilization, and skills mapping, enabling the team to move away from reactive staffing and to use forecasting tools to anticipate pressure points.

While the platform delivers clear efficiencies, its impact hinges on the strength of the processes surrounding it:

"Technology is an enabler," Sarac emphasizes. "Its value lies in connecting data that previously sat in different places. Having intuitive software that saves time is essential to our work because it supports better informed and more consistent decision making".

Love adds that the human element remains vital.

"You still need people to understand the nuance and the human side of work allocation and professional development," she says. "The software helps us staff a new deal or find cover for someone on holiday, but the resource manager is there to provide the necessary context." - Alix Love, Senior Resource Manager at DLA Piper 

The Results: Global Stability Through Balanced Resourcing

Since implementing a more structured approach to resourcing, DLA Piper has seen significant improvements in efficiency and transparency. Success is measured through a variety of quantitative and qualitative indicators, including utilization balance and the early identification of capacity pressures.

Improved visibility has also enabled the firm to be more proactive. Instead of reallocating work once a lawyer is already overwhelmed, the resource management team can see potential spikes in "busyness" and adjust workloads before they become an issue.

What's Next?

Expanding the Model and Legal Resource Management Advice

DLA Piper is expanding these data-driven practices to adjacent teams and using technology to inform, rather than replace, human judgment. By maintaining this balance, the firm ensures its resourcing strategy remains closely aligned with its people's needs.

For law firms at the early stages of implementing legal resource management, Love advises starting with clarity of purpose. Understand your operating model - agreed decision-making principles and be confident in your approach to change management.

Perseverance is key. With resource management still being a relatively new function in the legal industry, you need to be something of a self-starter. But once you’ve found your way and secured that buy-in, you’ll be in a great position to prove the value of the support levels that you can bring to your firm. From then, you should fly. - Alix Love, Senior Resource Manager, DLA Piper

With strong processes underpinning its technology, DLA Piper is poised to continue building a resourcing model that empowers its people and strengthens its global practice.