Currently CMS partners hand out work to associates directly. The new system will require partners to use a dedicated resource manager employed by consultancy firm Mason & Cook to distribute all pieces of work.

Associates are required to fill out a skills matrix regarding their strengths, areas they wish to develop, and the type of work that they want to carry out. The resource manager then uses this information to distribute work among the associates when a mandate comes in.

reported The Lawyer (free registration required to view article).

Apparently:

Last year Ashurst piloted a “blind allocation” programmed designed to ensure that work given to associates was handed out fairly. Under the scheme resource management consultant Dave Cook was put in charge of the firm’s work allocation, which is distributed based on an associate’s previous work rather than their prior relationships with partners.

Could we see Indian law firms ever adopting a similar system, or will partner silos with small teams of favourite associates remain the norm?