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LOD
(Lawyers
On
Demand)
has
just
revealed
its
financial
results
and
data
on
the
use
of
its
services
which
underline
the
success
of
this
new
business
model,
at
least
in
the
UK.
Revenue
reached
16,9m
Euro,
with
42%
annual
increase
and
700%
revenue
growth
over
the
last
5
years.
Could
you
explain
in a
few
words
what
kind
of
service
LOD
offers?
LOD
is
an
alternative
legal
service,
doing
something
different
in
the
industry.
We
are
the
hub
for
carefully
vetted
freelance
lawyers
who
work
with
our
in-house
and
law
firm
clients
on a
flexible
basis.
The
idea
is
to
offer
new
and
better
ways
of
working
to
both
clients
and
lawyers.
What
made
your
parent
company,
Berwin
Leighton
Paisner
(BLP)
create
such
a
new
firm?
BLP
is
innovative,
open-minded
and
foresaw
changes
in
the
market.
LOD
is
now
an
independently
run
and
managed
business,
with
BLP
as
its
main
investor.
What
kind
of
client
demands
your
services?
General
Counsels
and
senior
lawyers
at
large
corporates
looking
for
new
options
for
better
and
more
cost-effective
ways
of
working.
Where
do
your
lawyers
come
from
and
what
do
they
expect
from
LOD?
Our
lawyers
will
have
the
same
background
as
lawyers
in
large
firms
and
in-house
departments.
They
tend
to
be
lawyers
looking
for
greater
autonomy
and
control
in
how
they
work.
How
do
you
finally
select
and
appoint
lawyers
to a
certain
project?
We
have
a
careful
vetting
procedure
for
new
LOD
lawyers,
including
technical
tests.
We
know
our
lawyers
and
clients
well,
and
make
matches
based
on
personality
as
well
as
expertise.
Flexibility
seems
to
be
an
important
motivation
for
companies
and
for
lawyers
to
make
use
of
services
like
LOD.
Are
British
lawyers
more
used
to
this
model
than
American
lawyers?
Attitudes
have
changed
since
we
launched
LOD
eight
years
ago.
The
market
now
understands
that
flexibility
can
bring
benefits
for
the
lawyers
and
clients
alike
without
sacrificing
quality.
Do
you
think
your
services
will
be
easily
exportable
to
other
markets
like
the
US
or
even
Europe.
Creating
LOD
involved
dismantling
and
re-building
many
aspects
of
traditional
legal
practice.
This
needs
to
be
considered
for
each
jurisdiction
–
it’s
not
as
simple
as a
single
replicable
blueprint.
Just
a
few
questions
about
the
future
of
the
legal
profession:
Do
you
think
that
the
liberalization
trend
that
the
UK
established
will
continue
in
Europe?
Many
jurisdictions
are
making
changes
and,
yes,
liberalization
does
generally
appear
to
be
the
direction
of
travel.
What
do
you
see
as a
major
factor
for
change
in
the
legal
profession?
Changing
attitudes
to
work
across
generations,
plus
clients
looking
to
get
‘more
for
less’.
Do
you
think
that
Big
Law
has
learned
enough
from
New
Law,
in
order
to
cope
with
ever
faster
changes?
There
will
always
be a
place
for
Big
Law,
and
many
large
firms
are
doing
interesting
new
things
too.
New
Law
gives
additional
options
for
clients
– it
will
be
interesting
to
see
how
the
market
develops
over
the
next
5-10
years.
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