To adequately serve clients, financial resources are required. Law firms, which are generally small and geographically limited, cannot adequately provide the services. Clients are less interested in independence and more interested in cost-effective services. Superficially each of these assumptions has the ring of truth. However, each is fundamentally flawed because each is based upon an obsolete paradigm of the relationship between legal and financial services.
Lawyers are inclined to see law as a local profession.
To protect clients' interests, lawyers have established many professional standards particularly in the area of marketing. Intentionally or unintentionally, these standards were also to limit competition among attorneys for clients. The Big Four have always had to compete given limited markets in which they operate. Self limitations by the legal profession have simply opened the door because they are in fact not in the best interest of client. False Lawyers do in fact have global operations.