The legal sector has a reputation for not keeping up with technology. That is changing out of necessity. As the rest of the world is increasingly controlled by technology, law firms and corporate law departments are finding they have no choice but to adapt. Where does that leave attorneys? That depends on where they are in their careers.
Young lawyers just getting started have an advantage over those who are nearing the end of their careers. Being raised on technology, junior lawyers are more adept at going with the flow of technological change. They find it easier to formulate a way to practice law within the confines and potential of technology.
The makers of NuLaw, a cloud-based case management application built on a Salesforce foundation, say that there are four qualities that aid young lawyers starting their careers in a tech-drive world:
1. A Willingness to Adapt
What is behind the legal sector’s slow adoption of technology? You could make the case that it is an unwillingness to adapt. Many aspects of practicing law are rooted in generations of tradition that go way back in history. As with most traditions, those found in the legal sector are awfully hard to break free from.
Knowing this, it behooves young lawyers to approach their careers with a willingness to adapt. Technology is going to completely infiltrate law practice one way or another. It is just a matter of time. Those attorneys willing to adapt are the ones most likely to prosper as time moves on.
2. The Ability to Think on One’s Feet
Hand-in-hand with being willing to adapt is the ability to think on your feet. This quality is especially important given the pace at which technology progresses. To characterize the pace as being fast would be a gross understatement.
If you look at the history of technology throughout the 20th century, you can clearly see how the pace of change accelerates over time. The more technology we have to work with, the faster we are able to develop even better technology. That is certainly true in the legal tech sector. As such, young lawyers have to be able to think on their feet. They need to be able to keep up with changes as they happen.
3. The Ability to Multitask
New technology in the legal sector is designed to make practicing law more efficient. With efficiency comes the ability to do more with less. And with that ability comes the need to multitask. Young lawyers hoping to do well in a tech-driven world need to be able to handle multiple things at any given time.
We are fast approaching a point at which matter management, billing, and other tasks will no longer be separated by clearly delineated lines. They are already beginning to overlap thanks to case management applications that unify multiple software functions into single software packages. As such, lawyers will have to be able to multitask in order to keep things moving.
4. A Desire to Understand
Finally, a desire to understand how technology works will benefit young attorneys. Such a desire does not necessarily have to include complex things like writing software code but, at bare minimum, young attorneys will benefit from knowing the foundational principles of things like artificial intelligence and deep learning. Understanding how their software works inevitably leads to them using it to its full potential.
Young attorneys just getting started are entering an industry that is gradually being more influenced by technology. With the right qualities and mindset, these young attorneys will prosper in the tech driven world.
