How should legal departments begin the process of selecting and acquiring technologies that meet the current and future needs of the business? As legal departments become more business-focused, they need to do what other business departments do: create a formal plan that includes operational and business goals, and then develop a specific technology strategy to achieve those goals. This strategy should consider the impact of technology acquisitions on all stakeholders, as well as core business functions such as finance, marketing, human resources and information technology, including whether the latter two provide the necessary support to make the plan a reality. For example, e-invoicing and case management can streamline workflows, more accurately forecast and analyze legal expenses, and improve visibility into expenses and operations. By choosing e-invoicing and case management solutions that leverage artificial intelligence technology, legal departments can further increase efficiency and free lawyers to focus on their most valuable tasks. Therefore, these tools should be part of any overall cost control initiative – and millennial team members expect them to deliver a great user experience. The 2019 Millennial Lawyers Survey published by Major, Lindsey & Africa found that many young lawyers are dissatisfied with the status quo. More than half of respondents said they believe the legal industry is fundamentally broken, while 44% believe the current generation of leaders has “outgrown its effectiveness.” Millennials grew up in a world where they had unprecedented access to technology, with many carrying the entire internet on smartphones in their pockets in their teens or early adulthood. This generation is unlikely to support a work environment that doesn`t keep pace with technology. However, it is important to choose new technologies carefully. Millennials, in particular, expect their technology and processes to be consumer-friendly and emphasize ease of use. Their more mature colleagues may be just as digitally savvy, but they`re also more patient with technology that`s still clunky. They remember what it was like before these tools were introduced, and that`s why they consider heavy technology to be better than nothing. Among millennials, however, there is little tolerance or room for technological error.
Employee satisfaction is essential in any industry, but it`s especially important in demanding industries like law, where burnout is extremely common. Corporate legal departments must anticipate, listen to, and respond to millennials who demand a different work environment in the coming years. In the workplace of the future, increased use of data, analytics and legal project management will not be negotiable. Fortunately, advances in legal technology – from e-invoicing and automation to data-driven decision-making tools – can help dramatically improve efficiency and empowerment. Corporate legal departments are already evolving and, with the right approach, can ensure that their staff remains satisfied over time. Millennials who are already employed are a resource that legal departments should use. Organizations should take the pulse of these employees by keeping an eye on the future. Getting their input is a good first step to understanding their expectations and providing everyone with a workplace where technology supports their success and long-term business success. Nathan Cemenska is Director of Legal Operations and Industry Knowledge at Wolters Kluwer`s ELM Solutions. In his previous life, he owned and operated a small law firm and wrote two books on suffrage. Contact him at Nathan.Cemenska@wolterskluwer.com.
As the legal demographic continues to grow, it`s important to implement effective technological solutions that reflect the world millennials grew up in. Too often, it`s tempting to simply jump to a simple solution to a particular problem without taking the time to develop a plan and assess how the available options would fit in. But making a one-time technology acquisition without a broader technology plan is blind. This may result in technology purchases that cannot adapt to changing legal requirements and/or do not integrate well with current or future technology purchases. In the case of legal technology, what is good for employees is also good for the organizations they work for. The same tools that provide legal staff with streamlined workflows, increased efficiency, and greater confidence in their decisions also improve overall department performance and help legal teams achieve business goals. A fully mature plan will have both a strategic vision and an understanding of how certain acquisitions fit into it. It will also describe and measure the impact of these acquisitions using relevant performance indicators. While legal departments, especially smaller ones, are sometimes overlooked by senior management, risk management and cost control measures are both influenced by the work of the company`s legal team and can have a significant impact on results. However, user-friendly solutions won`t be enough if they can`t also meet the future needs identified in your strategic technology plan or integrate with other tools that make it possible.
Millennial users have high technology standards and are unlikely to have to subscribe to many separate solutions to complete their work. For example, if the team has identified contract lifecycle management (CLM) as an area where the department should improve automation and efficiency, choose a case management provider that offers flexible options for CLM integration. The demographics of the law are changing. While in 2016, less than a quarter of lawyers – and only 2% of partners – were millennials, by 2025, 75% of the total workforce will be millennials. This will certainly be reflected in legal services as well. With these inevitable demographic changes, the company`s legal departments must evolve to keep their employees engaged and satisfied. Improve business results and employee satisfaction Save my name, email address, and website in this browser so I can comment next time.