Hybrid jobs are on the rise worldwide: A major study of the US professional jobs market by Bentley University has labeled 2016 “The year of the hybrid job”. A key finding of the survey is that in order to navigate a successful and lucrative career in almost any white-collar job it is no longer enough to excel at just one thing.

With Validatum Pricing Espresso® we aim to bring you your regular pricing 'shot' - the best, most interesting, thought provoking and informative material we can find globally which will be of interest, relevance and help to you in your legal services pricing challenges. [Note: we don't always agree with the content of others that we post but the philosophy of Validatum Pricing Espresso® is shared perspectives, not a personal 'soap-box']

We all like a ‘good client’, whether it is an existing client, or a big one we hope to land. But what exactly are the attributes of a good client and what do we do about them if they aren't as good as we thought they were? When working with partners on pricing strategy...

“The slow pace of change in the legal services market means “regulatory intervention” is needed to force firms to publish their average prices even though it is not a perfect solution, the voice of legal consumers has said. The Legal Services Consumer Panel said this could also counter negative perceptions of lawyers.

Humans live within defined boundaries with good reason: life is often easier, more predictable and downright safer. A quick flick through the annals of history reveals the oft romanticised life of the pioneer to be one of extreme difficulty; posthumous glory in many cases serving as meagre compensation for a life ended early, frequently in abject poverty.

With Validatum Pricing Espresso® we aim to bring you your regular pricing 'shot' - the best, most interesting, thought provoking and informative material we can find globally which will be of interest, relevance and help to you in your legal services pricing challenges. [Note: we don't always agree with the content of others that we post but the philosophy of Validatum Pricing Espresso® is shared perspectives, not a personal 'soap-box']

‘Never the twain shall meet’ - a phrase used by Kipling in 'Barrack-room Ballads' in 1892, to lament the gulf of understanding between the British and the inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent. Many law firms that I know would say a similar gulf exists between them and the procurement manager; different language, a lack of shared reference points, opposing goals…

Over the last few days, we have had a number of firms asking us what they should be doing about their current pricing strategy. In some ways the question, whilst understandable, is a little premature because for many, it is business as usual.

With Validatum Pricing Espresso® we aim to bring you your regular pricing 'shot' - the best, most interesting, thought provoking and informative material we can find globally which will be of interest, relevance and help to you in your legal services pricing challenges. [Note: we don't always agree with the content of others that we post but the philosophy of Validatum Pricing Espresso® is shared perspectives, not a personal 'soap-box']

Law firms today face increased pressure to do 'more for less' resulting in rapidly growing interest in compelling technology-augmented hybrid offerings: focused on process-oriented work, applied at scale, leveraging technology to produce effective solutions that address the GCs evolving role as manager of legal spend and supply chain risk.

For many law firms, this means fewer billable hours. If AI will allow document review for example, in a fraction of the time it used to take, that's someone's billable hours target out the window. The use of AI in legal service delivery is exciting and represents a great opportunity, particularly for early adopters, but it has a vicious sting in the tail. Something will have to change with traditional pricing models.

With Validatum Pricing Espresso® we aim to bring you your morning pricing 'shot' - the best, most interesting, thought provoking and informative material we can find globally which will be of interest, relevance and help to you in your legal services pricing challenges. [Note: we don't always agree with the content of others that we post but the philosophy of Validatum Pricing Espresso® is shared perspectives, not a personal 'soap-box']

I have spent many hours traversing the square mile in London on the hunt for legal spend management insight, and I’d liken it to trying to find a fabulous low fat chocolate muffin… I know it’s out there but finding something tasty really takes some effort! I understand that it’s hard to produce something that appeals to everyone’s slightly different tastes, but invariably I’m left slightly disappointed that the things on offer aren’t quite what I wanted – they aren’t fabulous to me.