initiatives. In March 2012, Mallesons Stephen Jaques and King & Wood — leading firms in Australia and China, respectively — combined to create a new regional legal brand in Asia. King & Wood Mallesons now has 2,200 lawyers in 21 offices and is the only law firm currently licensed to practice Australian, Chinese, U.S. and English law. The bringing together of a Western firm with a Chinese
firm breaks new ground. While this is the most visible and topical change process at work in the firm, it is not, by any measure, the sole focus of the firm's change program. King & Wood Mallesons' social media initiative is one of a number of change activities that is positioning the firm to survive and thrive in The New Normal.
The Growth of Social Media For a number of years, social media tools have been
steadily influencing the legal profession with, according to the ALM Legal Intelligence Survey "Fans, Followers and Connections: Social Media ROI for Law Firms," as many as 20 percent of law firms now employing full- time social media specialists. Like most law firms, King & Wood Mallesons has been exploring and responding to the opportunities and challenges presented by new social media paradigms. The firm's introduction of social media tools has not followed conventional change management principles. Instead of following a carefully articulated social media strategy and change process, King & Wood Mallesons'
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