Alternative providers slam firms for ‘too much baggage’

Managing director of alternative firm Plexus, Andrew Mellett, told Australasian Lawyer of his belief that despite the vast majority of Australian legal work still being undertaken by traditional firms, overseas trends indicated that the demand for local alternative providers would keep increasing.

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“The thing alternative firms have in common is that they recognise the historical model is broken, and that they are looking for different ways to add value,” Mellett told Australasian Lawyer.

Mellett believes that traditional firms are hamstrung by their cultural and structural baggage, which makes it very hard for them to adopt new models.

“There is no doubt there is a dramatic and persistent shift in the legal industry to focus on value and our whole mission is centred on it. We don’t have partners and we strip out a lot of other overheads,” Mellett said.