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The role of the professional support lawyer (PSL) first emerged in
the early- to mid-1990s amongst London's Magic Circle, and quickly
became essential for mid-size and even smaller firms. However, this
golden period for the PSL came to an abrupt end with the global
financial crisis and the subsequent recession, which rocked the
legal landscape; the greatest shockwaves were inevitably felt by
legal support teams, as many firms sought to maintain profitability
by shifting their focus to fee-earners and cutting what was quickly
perceived as superfluous business functions. The slow but steady
recovery of the economy and the consequent pick-up of client demand
since then has meant that the importance of PSLs to law firm
operations has once again been recognised. However, the legal
profession is not the same as it was before the recession; this is
reflected in not only the changes in what is expected from
fee-earners, but also support staff such as PSLs. Traditionally
seen as a backstage position that mainly involved administrative
work and the drafting of precedents, the PSL role is rapidly
transforming. A PSL cannot only contribute to a firm's competitive
edge by providing the traditional technical expertise; it has now
become essential to perform tasks ranging from involvement in
business development to the provision of training, the capture and
dissemination of knowledge, product selection, and project
management. This kind of flexibility is a quality that has made the
role of the PSL attractive to those seeking an alternative to legal
practice; however, it brings its own challenges. With such a wide
variety of responsibilities and functions, it can be difficult to
find relevant information on what career development might look
like, or the skills needed for the progression. Identifying current
issues and future challenges, too, is rendered problematic by this
versatility. The Evolving Role of the PSL aims to fill this
information gap.
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