What I've Learned So Far...

As I reach my 6-month anniversary of my departure from the legal department of Microsoft, I reflected back on the experiences of my new adventures in the legal industry. I am sharing some revelations in the hopes of making some of you feel better, making others of you feel a little nervous, and hopefully inspiring most of you to try something new in your legal practice today!

1.   "Cause I got issues, but you got 'em too..." The pop song Issues by Julia Michaels made me think about the issues we face across the legal industry. Good news - everyone has the same issues with innovating their services. In-house legal departments face many of the same challenges as their law firm counterparts. Everyone is under the impression that corporate legal teams are all racing to innovate. Well, the reality is that the corporate department is made up of many of the same lawyers as those at law firms. Not all in-house lawyers want to automate and embrace new ways of working. The resistance may be quieter, but it is definitely there.

2.   Along those lines, many corporate legal departments think they are in the worst shape, and most of their peer departments are so much more advanced than they are. Good news - everyone is lost and overwhelmed. Most legal teams can't find their contracts or relevant documents. Most don't have good knowledge management systems, or effective document management systems, or ANY management systems to speak of. Most legal teams are frustrated with their firms and can't get ahead of their spend. There are some examples of creative practices and solutions, but they are specific to solving one problem area. Outside of the leading case studies of innovative programs across some corporate legal teams, there is no one department that has solved most (or even many) of their problems. Each department is finding its way.

3.   Finally, there is the perception about which law firms are most innovative and which are being left behind. In reality, most firms are paying attention to the other firms who are claiming innovation. The press is great at creating a FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) mentality amongst firms by constantly hammering away at how frustrated corporate clients are and how behind law firms are. Similarly, some firms are doing a great job of marketing their advancements, but a closer look may reveal that there is less real value than is being advertised. On the flip side, I've discovered many firms are actually trying creative and new approaches but are just not very good at advertising their successes. That is the biggest shame, I think.

In short, everyone is mostly in the same boat. Most legal professionals have seen some advancements in certain specific areas, but there are no clear winners and losers in this game of innovation. To the extent any firm or in-house legal team finds a creative way to deliver their service based on data, using automation or enhancing their efficiencies, while delighting their clients, that is noteworthy innovation. Our industry needs to hear more from those that are really living it and can share valuable lessons learned.