Operational Confidence in Uncertain Times

How Law Firms Can Build Resilience Into Everyday Operations

Volatility is no longer the exception in the legal industry; it’s the norm. Shifting demand, cost pressure, regulatory changes, and unpredictable staffing conditions have made law firm operations more fluid and reactive than ever.

In our experience, the firms that thrive aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the most detailed plans. They’re the ones with operations built to adapt. That’s where resilience comes in.

What Operational Resilience Really Means

Resilience doesn’t mean overbuilding or overplanning. It means having systems and structures that can respond to stress without cracking. When a firm is operationally resilient, it can:

• Scale vendor services up or down without renegotiation delays

• Maintain continuity when a key team member leaves or shifts roles

• Reroute workflows quickly when demand spikes or a system stalls

• Keep attorneys and staff productive, even when the unexpected hits

It’s not about eliminating risk. It’s about managing it with clarity and confidence.

Core Traits of a Resilient Operation

We’ve seen resilience succeed where these four traits are in place:

• Flexible vendor contracts: Agreements that allow for expansion, reduction, and reassessment without triggering penalties or delays

• Transparent service data: Dashboards and reports that give leadership visibility into volumes, turnaround times, and performance trends

• Internal redundancy and cross‑training: So no one person or system becomes a single point of failure

• Scenario planning and stress tests: Periodic reviews of “what if” scenarios to keep the firm ready for disruption

What Resilience Is Not

Resilience isn’t about doing everything at once or making radical changes. But it also isn’t:

• Waiting until contract renewal to evaluate vendor performance

• Accepting process delays because “that’s how it’s always worked”

• Assuming last year’s structure still fits this year’s needs

Resilience is a discipline. It requires intention, and it pays off when things don’t go as planned.

A Real-World Payoff

One national Am Law 200 firm we worked with had restructured its mail and records workflows across multiple offices to gain flexibility, speed, and accountability. Just months later, a fire forced one of those offices to close unexpectedly. Because of the prior changes, including consolidated mail distribution, digital intake processes, and updated vendor terms, the firm was able to reroute all physical and digital records with no disruption to attorneys or clients. What could have been a major operational crisis became a non-event. That’s operational resilience in action.

The Mattern Perspective

Operational resilience isn’t just a future‑proofing strategy. It’s a performance advantage today. Firms that have confidence in how their operations will respond to change make better decisions, serve clients more effectively, and grow with less friction.

At Mattern, we help firms build that kind of resilience through better contracts, better data, and better structures. If you’re ready to test your firm’s operational foundation, we’re here to help. Contact info@matternassoc.com to get started.