Legal Workflow Leadership Report Reveals Persistent Challenges in Law Firm Support Services

Global News

15
May
2025

Editor

BigHand, a leading provider of legal software solutions, today released its fifth annual Legal Workflow Leadership Report. Its comprehensive analysis highlights the ongoing management challenges faced by law firm leadership, including high support staff attrition rates, lagging workforce planning initiatives, and significant profit leakage. 

“Law firms are experiencing productivity and legacy operational challenges that undermine efficiency, profitability, and long-term resilience,” said Eric Wangler, President - Global Legal Market at BigHand. "Our 2025 report demonstrates the measurable improvements available to firms that take a proactive approach. Centralized support teams and data-driven work allocation - enabled by workflow technology - are no longer optional. Firms that fail to modernize their support services risk falling behind in an increasingly competitive market.” 

Key findings from the 2025 report include: 

• The ticking retirement ‘time bomb’: Firms face persistent attrition challenges, with 41% expecting 21-40% of their support staff to retire within the next five years. These roles are notoriously hard to replace, with over two-thirds (69%) of firms rating the difficulty at a five or more out of 10.   
• Misplaced administrative burden: Nearly one-third (31%) of firms now report an increased reliance on lawyers to handle administrative tasks, interfering with billable hours and profitability. 
• Low-visibility restructuring: Despite 90% of firms restructuring or introducing new support team models within the last year and 56% planning further changes, only half (51%) have implemented workflow management technology to provide accurate productivity data and inform these decisions. 
• Centralization delivers clear value: 70% of firms that have centralized support teams report multiple operational benefits, including improved lawyer productivity (25%), efficiency gains (25%), and cost savings (24%). 

“Firms have a real opportunity to strengthen retention by listening to their support teams,” said Ben Jennings, Global Director - Workflow Product Management at BigHand. “It’s clear that support staff want greater flexibility and better career progression. BigHand’s technology equips leadership teams with the insight required to balance staff needs with operational demands and increased client expectations for transparency and cost-control.” 

The 2025 report is based on insights from over 800 senior leaders, operations professionals, HR managers, and support service leaders across North America and the UK. It is a stark reminder that many operational challenges first identified by BigHand five years ago, including high rates of staff attrition, inefficient work allocation, and lack of structured workforce planning, persist today. 

Download the full 2025 Legal Workflow Leadership Report to explore detailed insights, recommendations, and benchmarks for operational transformation in legal support services.