Last month, KPMG became the first Big Four accounting firm to launch a law firm in the United States.
With a network of law firms already operating in more than 80 jurisdictions worldwide, its entry into the world’s largest legal market makes strategic sense. But successful business launches depend more on strategy; they also need effective storytelling. KPMG will have to overcome some significant communications challenges. It will, for example, have to address the perception that the quality of its legal talent is second-tier to the sparkling resumes and pedigrees found in Big Law. It will also have to address conflicts of interest that have plagued the Big Four in the past. Although the court order approving KPMG’s law license prohibits the firm from providing legal advice to its auditing clients, it will need to assure clients that it is looking after their best interests. Perhaps most importantly, KPMG will need to confront its perceived lack of credibility in the law. KPMG’s brand is rooted in accounting, risk management, and consulting. It will need to demonstrate its bona fides in handling legal matters while distinguishing itself from traditional law firms and other providers. The most effective way to do that is by telling authentic stories that only KPMG can tell.
Casting clients as protagonists
For decades, the most common stories told by law firms have drawn on familiar archetypes, like the brilliant trial lawyer overcoming long odds to win a case or the corporate attorney navigating complex negotiations and regulatory hurdles to close a multibillion-dollar deal. These narratives often emphasize individual excellence. But KPMG’s stories will need to be different. In its press release announcing the launch of its law firm, KPMG made no mention of individual lawyers; instead, it emphasized its “technological capabilities” and its “trusted legacy of delivering solutions when they matter most.” In an interview with Bloomberg, a KPMG lawyer discussed the importance of the firm’s “large-scale data extraction.” Instead of turning inward to look for heroes, KPMG should look outward and cast its clients as the protagonists. It could be a general counsel struggling with global compliance, a CFO trying to navigate shifting tax regulations, or a CEO facing legal uncertainty in an international expansion. What unites them is their desire for clarity to make sound business decisions. The obstacle getting in their way is global complexity. As Will Storr explains in A Story Is a Deal, persuasive stories often begin with a disruption to somebody’s life, which defines the character’s goal. As the character struggles to obtain his or her goal, a light figure emerges to show them the way forward. In the end, the protagonist achieves their goal and learns something. For KPMG Law, the light figure isn’t an individual attorney. It’s the firm’s mix of technology, data-driven intelligence, professional judgment, and integrated advisory approach.
Avoiding the ALSP trap
KPMG has an opportunity to distinguish itself in the marketplace by offering a new way of providing legal services. But it needs to be careful to balance its emphasis on technology with a unique mix of intelligence and human judgment that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Alternative legal service providers (ALSPs) emerged as a disruptive force in an earlier episode of legal innovation. By automating processes such as routine document review and streamlining legal research, they provided cost-effective alternatives to traditional law firms. But generative AI is now threatening to commoditize some of their services, making the ALSP's core value proposition vulnerable. Some tasks that companies farmed out to ALSPs are reportedly now being brought in-house due to the explosion of Gen AI. That’s why the true hero of KPMG’s story shouldn’t be technology, which can be replicated and commodified. Instead, it needs to be the unique synthesis of global intelligence, professional judgment, and technological capability that no generative AI can replicate. The bottom line: KPMG Law’s success won’t just come from providing legal services in a new way. It will come from owning a new legal narrative. If it can tell effective stories, it can move the market.Share:
