What’s the similarity between ALSPs and Padel?

Over the past decade, Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs) have moved from being niche disruptors to becoming mainstream players in the global legal ecosystem.

At their core, ALSPs offer legal support services outside the traditional law firm model, often leveraging scale, technology, and process efficiencies to deliver work more cost-effectively.

When I was in practice, I used to hate the phrase: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s what I love about the ALSP mentality. They want to fix it all, drawing on 360-degree skill sets that traditional firms rarely use.

Think back to the early 2000s when the All Blacks rugby team were almost unbeatable. They were innovative. I recall hearing from one of their coaches that, when looking to improve their lifting technique for receiving kick-offs, they consulted danseurs (male ballet dancers). Big, bulky rugby players asking ballet specialists for help? Come on! But they did, and with good reason. Why not ask those skilled in an art perfected over centuries? The All Blacks were simply bold enough to look left field for obvious answers.

ALSPs are doing something similar. They’ve taken traditional legal processes and applied process engineers, Lean Six Sigma skills, and now AI, to optimise them, all through a legal lens. It’s been a phenomenal change in an industry that doesn’t like change. And as Laurie Buchanan puts it: “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like redundancy even less.” ALSPs are leading that charge.

Globally, we’ve seen major law firms partner with ALSPs, corporates rely on them for high-volume work, and entirely new career paths open for lawyers who want to operate differently. Covid lockdowns, followed by the widespread adoption of hybrid working, only accelerated the pace.

Closer to home, it’s fascinating to see how South Africa, and Cape Town in particular, has become a focal point in this evolution. Having spoken to many in this space over the years, here’s why:

• A deep pool of highly skilled lawyers with international exposure (many returning after time abroad).

• Cost competitiveness compared to Europe and North America.• A time zone overlap that makes South Africa a natural bridge to European companies.

• Although South Africa is a hybrid of Roman-Dutch law and Common Law, its commercial law often closely mirrors that of the UK.

• English is the primary business language, with consistently high standards in both written and oral communication.

• And critically, Cape Town is often described as the “Silicon Valley of Africa”. With its thriving tech and start-up ecosystem, fintech disruptors, and global delivery centres, it’s already home to innovation hubs and talent pools geared towards technology adoption. This environment makes it a natural base for ALSPs, which tend to be more tech-enabled and process-driven than traditional firms.

This isn’t a passing trend. It signals South Africa’s emergence as a global hub for legal operations and managed services. For lawyers, it creates new career opportunities. For firms and corporates, it provides alternative pathways to deliver client value.

As the ALSP market matures, expect to see greater integration with traditional firms (rather than competition), heavier use of AI-driven tools, and South Africa playing a central role in global delivery.

So what does this all have to do with Padel?

Think of traditional law as a tennis club. Many tennis clubs are struggling to grow membership. Along came Padel. Clubs could hold fast to tradition or embrace Padel, converting existing tennis courts (or underutilised space) into Padel courts. Traditionalists may scoff, insisting tennis will always be superior. But when played alongside one another, the synergies are clear. Tennis clubs that add Padel are more likely to thrive than those that don’t.

That’s how I see ALSPs and law firms. Not competitors but mutually reinforcing forces that make the profession stronger together.

I specialise in placing Partners and senior lawyers. If you are based in Sandton and you would like to meet and discuss something specific or in general, please get in touch.

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