[no subject]

Clearspire also has an unusual, dual corporate structure: it consists of =
a law firm with salaried lawyers, and also a separate entity that is =
responsible for business development.

Posted by Bruce Carton on August 15, 2011 at 01:30 PM |  =
<http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/legal_blog_watch/2011/08/in-an-article=
-last-week-the-economist-takes-a-look-at-a-few-ways-that-technology-is-pr=
oviding-clients-with-alternatives-to-t.html> Permalink |  =
<http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/legal_blog_watch/2011/08/in-an-article=
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Comments


'The Economist' Examines Emerging Alternatives to Traditional Law Firms

In an  <http://www.economist.com/node/21525907> article last week, The =
Economist takes a look at a few ways that technology is providing =
clients with alternatives to traditional law firms. These alternatives =
include things like  <https://www.lawpivot.com/> LawPivot, which some =
have  <https://www.lawpivot.com/staticontent/press/#techcrunch3> =
compared to " <http://www.quora.com/> Quora for legal advice." [Note to =
self: Learn what Quora is so that I can possibly then understand what =
LawPivot is.] They also include "unconventional law firms" such as  =
<http://www.axiomlaw.com/index.php/homepage/home> Axiom and  =
<http://www.clearspire.com/> Clearspire that are pursuing new business =
models.

I have mentioned Axiom before, noting its  =
<http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/legal_blog_watch/2010/06/axiom-a-perso=
nal-approach-to-the-law-firm-website.html> highly personal approach to =
the law firm website, which includes huge, day-in-the-life photos of =
Axiom lawyers doing things like gardening, having breakfast with their =
families or dancing. The Economist adds that Axiom, which is now 11 =
years old, has been able to grow its revenue steadily as companies seek =
ways to trim their legal spending: from $55 million in 2008, to $80 =
million in 2010, to an expected $120 million in 2011. Axiom differs from =
most firms in that it typically does not charge by the hour, but rather =
agrees to a flat fee for a project or for a set period of time that one =
of its teams will be engaged. It is also different from most law firms =
in that it employs only experienced lawyers, maintains little office =
space and charges significantly lower rates than most big law firms =
(about $200 an hour for highly experienced lawyers, according to a Daily =
Journal  =
<http://www.axiomlaw.com/Docs/SF%20Daily%20Journal%20-%20Jan%202010.pdf> =
article written in early in 2010).

Another law firm discussed by The Economist is Clearspire. Clearspire is =
made up of approximately 20 lawyers who work from home but =
"collaborat[e] on a multi-million-dollar technology platform that mimics =
a virtual office." Clients can use the platform, as well, to do things =
like make changes to their own documents. With respect to billing, The =
Economist states that