Atlanta Legal Nurse Consultant Hears David B. Wilkins of Harvard

Atlanta legal nurse consultant, Liz Buddenhagen, attended the 113th Sibley Lecture Series at the University of Georgia (UGA) Law School on January 28, 2016 held at the Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom.

About David B. Wilkins:

Wilkins is a Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the Vice Dean for Global Initiatives on the Legal Profession.  He is a widely published author. His most recent scholarly projects include directing over 50 researchers studying the impact of globalization on the market for legal services in rapidly developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

“The Accountants Are Coming – Again!”

Wilkins spoke about the rise and transformation of the “big 4” accountancy firms and what it means for the global market for legal services. He encouraged the law students to consider this. He discussed “disruptive innovation” that needs to be documented and evaluated and how the disruption forces can shape law in the 21st century.

Wilkins went on to explain that buyers know more with technology and can force sellers to un-bundle work products. He sees this potentially occurring in the field of law. He said that disruption could be a friend, not a foe, to the “born digital” generation to which current law students belong.

Wilkins said that increasingly sophisticated clients with more access to information are demanding more transparency.

“Another kind of disrupter is hiding in plain sight”: Accounting Firms:

Wilkins compared the history of accounting and law overlapping. During the Enron situation, the big 4 accounting firms began to un-bundle their accounting and legal work. But, Wilkins noted, when looking at markets outside of the USA, it appears these big firms bundled again between 2001 and 2012 and became bigger.

Europe is the stronghold of bundled accounting firms offering legal advice as well as accounting advice and expansion of this is evident in Asia, Africa and Latin America. He refers to Ernest and Young and Price Waterhouse Cooper as these types of firms (big 4). He said that Price Waterhouse Cooper is the 3rd largest law firm in Spain.

The U.S. will be the ultimate prize but bundling accounting and law services will take longer due to U.S. regulations.

About Atlanta Legal Nurse Consultant:

Liz Buddenhagen, registered nurse, assists Atlanta lawyers with any medically related legal case. For more information email Liz@BuddenhagenLNC.com , view Legal-Nurse-Consultant-LNC.com or call 770-725-2997.
 

Contact Information

Liz Buddenhagen

Principal

Buddenhagen and Associates

(1) 770-725-2997

Liz@BuddenhagenLNC.com