Society is in the midst of a new world order in terms of technology and global operations. This is affecting the career expectations of lawyers, but the structure of traditional law firms has been around and, in the main, unchanged, for decades. Surely it is time for a new way of operating?

It is essential for the legal industry to consider change. Those that are in any doubt about this fact should look at the statistics: the rise of in-house teams over the last decade; and the number of good quality lawyers leaving the profession, mainly at the senior end of the spectrum. It is clear that there is an issue with both the client and lawyer sides of the market, who are each looking for something different to what has been offered by the traditional law firm model.

If both clients and lawyers are unhappy with some, or all, aspects of the supply chain within the legal services industry, but both parties want and need to work with each other, at some point the question arises as to whether it is the structure of the supply chain that is hindering the relationship and creating an issue.

There is, therefore, a rationale to starting from scratch, and analysing the market to ensure that an alternative law firm model will work more effectively for clients as well as lawyers. The Halebury model was based on considering what both parties wanted from the equation and then creating a structure that would help to marry both sets of requirements.

In-house teams have certain requirements when it comes to managing their resourcing needs, which affect what they are looking for from their external providers. Part of the growth of in-house teams is due to the cost of instructing law firms, but the current market issues are not just limited to pricing.

Most in-house teams are looking for their senior external advisers to function as part of their team, but on an ad hoc, flexible basis as resourcing gaps arise or workflow increases. It is no longer acceptable for lawyers to advise from the sidelines, providing letters of advice and setting out proposed mark-ups.

External lawyers, especially at the senior end, need to provide a much more hands-on approach to support in-house lawyers who are looking for experienced advisers to help them with their ever-increasing workload; they want a seamless tag team on tap.

But again, the market is more sophisticated than that, and as the demands and pressures on in-house teams grow so do the requirements on their external advisers. So, for the in-house and external adviser relationship to work effectively, in-house teams also need their external advisers to add genuine value.

Newsletters, training sessions and customised intranet sites are helpful, but are no longer enough. In-house teams are constantly being asked to do more for less and everyone, especially their external advisers, should be adding value to ensure that in-house teams are working more efficiently. Adding value here is all about creating genuine value and transactional efficiency.

The key to success for an alternative law firm model is the ability to attract the right kind of lawyer; namely, senior lawyers with the confidence, entrepreneurship and the drive to work within a unique structure. But for the model and business to be sustainable, this involves ensuring that the lawyers' career requirements are being met.

Many lawyers are looking for an alternative to a traditional law firm, but what are the specifics? Most lawyers who leave traditional firms will tell you that they want more flexibility and more control over their time and career and, at the senior end, they have definitely earned that right. They also want to be able to focus on what they enjoy: the legal work; and working more closely with clients and their commercial teams. In addition, most are also looking for a more streamlined and transparent business and remuneration structure.

The Halebury model is simple, streamlined and flexible. The clients and the lawyers have a direct relationship, which the Halebury management and office team help to manage. It has a unique team composed of senior lawyers trained by City law firms, who crucially have extensive in-house experience.

This streamlined model enables former in-house lawyers to work closely with clients and it provides general counsel with access to senior, commercially minded lawyers, who can work as part of their in-house team or their management team. It also allows for full flexibility from having on-site or off-site legal assistance to pricing options including fixed fee, daily and weekly rates, and bulk-hour purchases.

A significant part of the Halebury offering is building long-term relationships with clients and ensuring that lawyers remain available to continue to work with clients after completing a project. This results in a longer term relationship, which creates the level of continuity and flexibility required by clients. In addition, the continuity in relationship and the experience of the Halebury team enables the lawyers to provide an effective, value-added service, where they can work with in-house teams to create a more efficient service.

The Halebury model offers benefits to both clients and lawyers:

Halebury now includes three distinct areas: ad hoc support; a placement service; and strategic general counsel advice on team structure, knowledge management, recruitment and training.