Working Longer and Harder
In my session at ILTA on the future of Litigation Support, I asked how many people were working longer and harder today compared to six months ago. 70% of the group raised their hands.
This show of hands, combined with recent data collected by The Cowen Group, indicates that the Litigation Support industry has hit the bottom of the recession (I can’t speak for the entire legal industry or the economy at large). Most litigation support professionals are working harder and longer for one of two reasons:
1) Because staff cuts have forced them to do the job of two or more people; or
2) Because their organization has experienced a net increase in work.
Working long and harder, month after month, is not sustainable. Eventually, litigation support and E-Discovery departments will need to add headcount and expand their ranks. Is this expansion happening yet?
We invite you to participate in our Q3 Staffing Trends Survey which will be distributed next week. In it, we ask the following three questions:
1) Are you and your team working harder and longer compared to three months ago?
2) Do you plan to add headcount, reduce headcount or keep staffing levels the same between now and the end of the year?
3) What is your greatest challenge entering the 4th quarter of 2009? Technology, Workflow/Process Improvement or People?
The Cowen Group’s Q2 Staffing Report found that nearly 1/3 of surveyed Litigation Support departments in the AmLaw 200 planned on adding staff before the end of 2009. I am looking forward to reporting the most recent data next week.
