For example, the Justice Department has no practical way to replace or substantially modify the Microsoft operating system, even if Microsoft is found to have illegally monopolized the OS market. The network of dependencies built on the Windows standard is irreversible. Similarly, as businesses come to use Net-based services, they will become irreversibly dependent on such services. The ABA's Ethics 2000 Commission is reviewing the Rules of Professional Conduct, but a massive overhaul is not expected. With compound growth and the network effect, it is likely in the next three years, and certain in the next five, that less profitable legal services will be delivered by smaller, state-licensed firms consisting of only lawyers.
Traditional businesses tend to deny that fundamental change is needed.
Professions that fail to transform quickly will end up in a desperate, reactive mode. The Cure Several things need to change for law firms to compete with the Big Five consulting firms. Law firms have grossly underinvested in technology and training. As a result, partners have enjoyed a false sense of prosperity. Too often, firms' technology investments are driven by client demands rather than strategic planning.