What happened
Clifford Chance initiated a 10% reduction in its back-office staff, primarily within business services teams. This action integrates AI solutions and shifts operational functions to lower-cost service centres located in Poland and India. The firm's objective is to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and manage costs by automating routine tasks and centralising specific functions. This strategic realignment impacts resource allocation and service delivery models.
Why it matters
The reduction in back-office personnel and the integration of AI solutions introduce new operational dependencies and potential control gaps. This shift increases exposure to data governance challenges and necessitates higher due diligence requirements for process oversight, particularly within business services functions now managed by AI or remote centres. Compliance and IT security teams face an increased burden in monitoring adherence to internal policies and regulatory standards across geographically dispersed operations and automated workflows.
