Any business needs a sound infrastructure – one with reliable IT, effective business support functions, and clear leadership. Without it, the day-to-day running of the business would simply break down.
At Linklaters, the challenge is to manage this infrastructure in a way that enables us to work as one firm, but that supports each office’s individual needs.
We have to strike a balance. Recent changes to our business services functions are helping us to get that balance right.
In practice
A single structure
In 2007, we restructured our business services in cross-functional teams to mirror our legal practice and created a new global COO role to lead the implementation of a firmwide business services strategy.
Investment
We have spent over £50 million enhancing our IT and management systems in the last five years. These systems include SAP (we were the first law firm to implement this system on a global basis), which is now used by all our practices around the world.
Flexibility within that structure
The work we do is changing all the time. Much of this work often happens outside our own offices. So it is important that our solid structure does not become a rigid one.
To avoid that, we make sure our systems are mobile and scalable. Recently, for example, we set up a fully functioning “Linklaters office” in a client’s office in the space of a single weekend.
We also need to be able to make commercial decisions in the interests of providing the most flexible and efficient services we can. For example, if outsourcing is the most cost-efficient way to provide a service, that is what we will do.
The benefits of a flexible structure
We have built a technology infrastructure that provides the flexibility and scalability necessary for a truly global organisation.
With this infrastructure, all our people can access any application or piece of information from any online desktop anywhere in the world – whether in the office, at home, at the airport, from a hotel or at a client’s office. It means everyone can keep in touch while on the move. New functionality can also be delivered across our business with minimal impact, and our systems are supported 24/7 from three regional support centres.
From a firm perspective, this technology also protects us from unplanned events, supports our flexible working initiatives and provides responsive support to our clients.