Investigating business strategies and practices of small to medium size legal firms to survive in Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the business strategies and practices employed by small to medium-sized legal firms to survive in Durban, South Africa. Utilising a qualitative methodology, the study used purposive sampling to select participants in leadership or management positions within firms with fewer than 50 employees based in Durban In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with leaders, owners, and managers of selected legal firms to gather in-depth insights into business level strategies and how their businesses were surviving in the markets. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The research identified 6 themes which depict business level strategies used by small to medium-sized legal firms in Durban. The business strategies identified are: (1) operational efficiency through technology adoption, (2) client engagement and retention via personalised services and transparent pricing, (3) adaptation to market changes by diversifying into niche legal areas, (4) strategic marketing efforts, (5) developing specialised market segments and (6) collaboration and partnerships. For small to medium-sized legal firms in Durban to survive, they need to invest in targeted training for both firm leaders and their employees, enhance technology adoption, focus on client-centric pricing strategies, strengthen knowledge-sharing and cross-functional collaboration, leverage partnerships, and foster a sustainability-oriented organisational culture to compete and survive in the market. These recommendations are pivotal if small to mediumsized legal firms are to overcome challenges, enhance resilience, and achieve sustainable growth. The exclusive focus on firm leaders and use of interview data only are limitations of this study. Overall, this research contributes valuable insights to the discourse on business level strategies of small to medium-sized legal firms to survive in the market.