Baker McKenzie announces a restructuring

Law firm Baker McKenzie announces a restructuring of its business services, affecting approximately 10% of its workforce

The news sent shockwaves through the global legal sphere: Baker McKenzie, one of the most renowned international law firms, has announced a major restructuring of its business services. Nearly 10% of these employees could potentially be affected. This decision, far from insignificant, raises crucial questions for the profession and the organization of operational support within law firms, at a time when the sector is rethinking its operating models.

Why such a restructuring? Strategies and economic contexts

The restructuring announced by Baker McKenzie is part of a broader economic context where competitive pressure, the evolution of the legal services market, and increasing automation are redefining the landscape. Like many large firms, the firm faces challenges of agility, competitiveness, and alignment with clients' real needs.

Business services refer to all support functions: marketing, HR, finance, IT, document management, and internal communications. These teams – often discreet but essential – allow lawyers to focus on their core business. By adjusting the size and structure of these services, Baker McKenzie seeks to optimize its resources and promote greater efficiency.

A digital transformation as a backdrop

Automation and digitalization are disrupting the traditional operations of law firms. Documents, information sharing, project management: many previously manual tasks are now handled by high-performance technological solutions. This global phenomenon strongly impacts the profiles and roles within business services.

According to a 2023 Thomson Reuters study, nearly 75% of global law firms believe that automation will transform their support functions within five years. Administrative and back-office positions are particularly exposed, while new technological skills are increasingly sought after. The ongoing movement at Baker McKenzie is therefore not isolated – it reflects a deep industry trend.

The human impact: concerns and change management support

Behind the numbers are experienced professionals whose futures are being questioned. For law firms, successfully navigating such a transition involves not only rigorous workforce management but also high-quality human support to assist the affected employees.

A striking example: during a previous wave of restructuring at another 'Big Law' firm, the implementation of internal mobility assistance programs, reskilling, or training on new digital tools helped mitigate the social impact. At Baker McKenzie, support measures are already being discussed, ranging from professional retraining support to psychological assistance, an approach welcomed by some unions and HR observers.

Challenges for lawyers: changing working methods and collaboration

Even if lawyers themselves are not directly affected by this wave of redundancies, the organization of their daily work will inevitably be affected. A reduced support team means changes in task distribution, a possible upskilling on certain cross-functional topics, and an adaptation to new tools and processes.

The experience of other firms that have undergone such transformations encourages a proactive approach to these changes: involving employees, fostering collective intelligence, and reviewing certain workflows to maintain overall performance. This often results in increased accountability for lawyers on organizational or technological issues.

Medium-term outlook for the legal sector

Baker McKenzie's reorganization raises broader questions about the future of business services in the legal profession. Beyond the immediate effect of job cuts, the underlying trend points towards more agile, specialized, and tech-savvy support teams, capable of generating real added value for legal activities.

For firms, the challenge is also to preserve the attractiveness of support functions and to support the emergence of new roles linked to digital transformation: data analysts, legal tech specialists, cybersecurity managers, and innovation project managers. A redefinition of the role and scope of business services seems inevitable, in line with the evolving expectations of clients and lawyers.

Practical tips for anticipating and managing these changes

For law firms and legal departments, anticipating the evolution of business services involves several key areas:

• Regularly assess the alignment between support functions and the actual needs of the firm or department.
• Invest in continuous training to support skill development and adaptation to new technologies.
• Promote internal mobility and cross-functional opportunities between support roles and legal functions to preserve internal expertise.
• Communicate transparently with all teams about reorganization projects and the underlying strategic reasons.

Adopting an agile and inclusive approach helps transform these changes into an opportunity for renewal, rather than just a constraint.

Conclusion: Towards a new business services model?

Baker McKenzie's decision to profoundly adjust its business services structure is symptomatic of the major upheavals sweeping the global legal sector. While these reorganizations legitimately raise human concerns, they also provide an opportunity to re-evaluate the added value of support teams and to build the foundations of a more agile, tech-savvy, and resilient model.

For lawyers, it's an incentive to embrace these transformations to actively participate in the evolution of their work environment. The question remains open: what new balances can be found between efficiency, innovation, and human support?