Press releases
Harbor Launches Human Capital Management Advisory Practice, Expanding Its Ability to Support Clients Through People and Workforce Transformation
New practice addresses growing demand among law firms and professional services organizations for expert HCM advisory and Workday implementation support
May 5, 2026 (Chicago, IL) – Harbor, the leading legal technology and operations consultancy, today announced the launch of its Human Capital Management (HCM) Advisory practice. The new practice broadens Harbor’s ability to help law firms and professional services organizations navigate the accelerating complexity of workforce transformation, HR modernization, and technology adoption, beyond its existing CLM and Adaptive Planning partnerships.
The new practice reflects a clear and growing market need and strengthens Harbor's ability to serve client demand. In 2026, human capital management has evolved from an HR software category into workforce infrastructure, with skills data, performance analytics, onboarding workflows, and AI governance now linked directly to business outcomes including delivery speed, productivity, retention, compliance exposure, and operational resilience. Law firms and corporate law departments are feeling this pressure acutely, as people strategy becomes inseparable from operational strategy.
Workday is a platform of choice across the legal sector, with 64% of Am Law 100 firms already customers. The professional services industry represents the largest Workday HCM user segment globally, and Harbor's research indicates that a significant and growing number of its law firm clients are actively evaluating, implementing, or expanding their use of Workday across core HCM, benefits, compensation, talent, payroll, and integrations. Launching the practice will expand the company's Workday capabilities beyond its existing capabilities. Harbor is actively recruiting experienced HCM practitioners to build out the practice and is currently engaged with clients in early advisory work.
"The legal sector is moving fast on workforce modernization, and our clients are telling us they need expert support that combines deep legal-industry knowledge with practical HCM delivery capability. This practice is a direct response to what we're hearing and seeing in the market," said Justin Farmer, Practice Group Leader, Enterprise Operations at Harbor.
The launch of the HCM Advisory practice deepens Harbor's existing work across legal technology, operations, and strategy, and aligns with the company's broader approach to building focused, high-value capabilities where client demand is clear and proven. Harbor's research shows that a significant and growing number of Am Law 100 and UK 100 firms are actively implementing or expanding Workday HCM, with investment concentrated in core HR, payroll, compensation, and integrations. For law firms navigating this environment, access to specialist advisory support is increasingly essential.
"We've been watching the Human Resource Information System and HCM space evolve rapidly across the legal sector for some time. More of our clients are moving to platforms like Workday, and we see a clear opportunity to support them through that journey. This also strengthens Harbor’s ability to help law firm clients across the broader enterprise technology stack – from finance, risk and compliance, knowledge and documents, and marketing through to HR and the data layer that connects it all. We're building this practice with the same discipline and client focus that defines everything we do," said Matt Sunderman, CEO of Harbor.
Harbor's HCM Advisory practice will offer services spanning HCM strategy and platform advisory, Workday readiness and implementation support, and ongoing operational guidance for firms managing complex, multi-module deployments. The company is already engaged with clients on work spanning program readiness, vendor and systems integrator selection, and client-side program management for Workday implementations. Harbor is also actively expanding its team and welcomes inquiries from experienced HCM professionals interested in joining the practice.
For more information about Harbor's HCM Advisory practice, click here.
About Harbor
Harbor is the leading provider of professional and technology services to the legal industry, encompassing strategy, technology, operations, and intelligence. With a global team of over 900 professionals, Harbor works with over 80% of Global 200 law firms and 500 corporate law departments to optimize performance and enable business and digital transformation. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has offices in London, Belfast, Moncton, and Sydney.
Harbor, a BayPine LP portfolio company, is advancing its next phase of growth by broadening its technology, data, and managed services capabilities across the legal sector.
For more information, visit www.harborglobal.com.
Media Contact
Grant Ludmer
LIMELIGHT