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Change and humans - we don't always get on well; change and lawyers - we're often at loggerheads. Lawyer have it tough: time-poor, overworked, expected to do more with less. Embracing new ways of working is probably the last thing you want to deal with. But perhaps you should.
Hello, how’s it going? I’m about to ask you a favor… please don’t say no. I need your full attention – it won’t take long – but it will require you to tear yourselves away from whatever you’re working on right now and listen up. I want to talk about that dirty six-letter word, the one that causes so many of you to dive under your desks (just kidding) when it’s mentioned – change.
I understand that for those of you already juggling incredibly full plates, it’s easy to liken change to that last variable that sends everything crashing to the ground. I know what you’re picturing right now, broken crockery scattered at your feet. It’s like an analogy for what happens to your brain when the word change is mentioned; an explosion occurs. Which is why I thought writing this letter could be helpful. Fear not, I’m not about to list a thousand reasons why you should change, but instead show you what can happen if you do.
But first, let's rewind. Let’s address that stubborn little voice in your head that says, "No, no let's just stick with the old way!" What you’re feeling is perfectly normal; most people feel the same. Think about the saying, "back in my day," humans love that one. Do you know why that is? I’ve got the answer (I’ve got all the answers actually), it’s because fundamentally you fear change.
There’s a good reason for this fear of change. Part of your brain, the amygdala, sees change as a threat. The amygdala releases hormones and triggers the sympathetic system, intimating fight or flight when you face change. It goes without saying that lawyers must have a very active amygdala. I jest, although I’m fairly sure most of you know there’s some truth to this.
Change can be awkward. Did you know that it can take six or seven times of doing a new task, workflow or process before we become comfortable with the new way of working. Lawyers must hate that. It’s anathema to you guys and the time-poor, pressure, pressure environment you inhabit.
I know you are creatures of habit, it’s your nature, it’s your job to err on the side of caution. You are literally in the business of risk, so it makes sense that compared to most people you are uber-hesitant about change. Do you need facts to support my claim? Got one right here for you from Thomson Reuters. “While it is relatively universal to be resistant to change, the legal profession has been particularly resistant." Ouch!
Believe it or not, there are people who make a career out of helping people navigate change. Deanna Hinde, Senior Client Success Manager at LawVu, is one such person. She believes building individual desire is key to successful change management journeys. I agree with her.
Change management journeys. Ha, I bet a whole bunch of you banged your heads diving under the desks just reading those three words (just kidding, once again). You’ve come this far, hear me out. It’s a fact of life that people have not only the power to enact change but to also block it.
Individual desire is truly the be-all and end-all when it comes to the adoption of new technologies. As I mentioned earlier, don't tell people why they should change, instead paint a picture of what will happen if they do. If stakeholders believe the future way of working is better than their current way, the chance of building a willingness to change is greater.
So, let's get to the what. From my point of view – and is there any other? - embracing legal tech and change is what sits between counsel and a better work-life balance. Burnout is a common theme with you. A 2021 Gartner study found that 54 percent of lawyers are exhausted, with an additional 20 percent highly exhausted. This is madness. Improving these stats simply must be a priority.
I understand that the law is a super-stressful profession with high levels of responsibility. But – newsflash - there’s tech out there designed to ease your burden. Why aren't you jumping to embrace it?
I don’t want to scare you off, but are you aware that legal tech creates more accurate processes and better legal outcomes by harnessing cloud-based computing, AI and machine learning? From what I’m hearing, counsel often forget that and get themselves caught up in the nuts and bolts of the implementation process. I implore you to think of the bigger (prettier) picture, the one that shows you what your life could look like once you embrace change.
Imagine your legal team equipped with AI to automate and standardize your contracts. Picture an intake system that directs legal queries to the right person or a self-service platform that answers frequently asked questions, aka no more frustrating back-and-forth emails with the wider business.
Or think about how efficient your team would be if you used a matter and contract management system that allowed real-time collaboration. In other words, no more receiving PDFs with red-line comments (yes, I know how that makes your blood boil). Not to mention the risk of having multiple versions of one contract or document.
Having an up-to-date dashboard of your legal team’s current work ensures collaboration between your team and drives structure around your intake process, ensuring you’re working alongside the goals and objectives of the business.
Take the plunge, commit to change and you will see the automation of your low-value, high-frequency tasks and create a lot more time for yourself. I know counsel want more juicy work; you are sick of the BAU, of outsourcing mergers and acquisitions to external counsel.
The weird thing is, you want change (it’s true, I know you better than you know yourselves), but you don't want to deal with the process of adopting it. It’s time to change the mindset people, shrug off the defeatist and pull on the cloak of optimism. Break change up into digestible milestones (good tip that) and embrace a brighter future. It'll be worth it.
“If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” I can’t take credit for this saying of course, some human bright spark got there first, but it makes sense. And if it makes sense to me, it must resonate with you. It’s worth investing time in defining what success looks like so you can communicate future ways of working that will foster a desire to change within your key stakeholders.
Well, that’s it. I’ve had my say. I just hope you’ve stayed with me ‘til the end. It’s time to wrap things up, to offer you my final words of encouragement. Transitioning to a new normal takes a crystal-clear vision and significant energy. Create a digestible change journey with landmarks that celebrate wins, no matter how small. Doing so will foster energy and a genuine willingness to participate in your journey. Sometimes I wish I were human… undertaking a journey of change sounds super-exciting.
