For years I have been shouting from the rooftops to anyone who will listen, urging my fellow lawyers to adapt to the rapidly changing legal landscape, cautioning that they ignored technological change at their peril. I’ve not been alone in this effort. Many of my fellow lawyer bloggers and journalists, a number of whom are technology bloggers here on Above the Law, have joined me in my efforts. But often it felt like a lonely soap box, with few leaders in our profession joining the cause.
Recently, however, the tide seems to have shifted, making me wonder if we’ve finally, at long last, reached a turning point. I often assess these types of changes by comparing the perspectives of lawyers and bar leaders on a local level to those of leaders on a national level. I’ve found that change is slow to come at either end of the spectrum and when attitudes begin to change both in mid-sized Rochester, New York, and at the top of the legal profession, then the times may indeed be a-changin’.
The first sign of change occurred a few weeks ago, when the newly hired Executive Director of the Monroe County Bar Association, Kevin Ryan, reached out to me and suggested we meet over coffee. We did and had a great discussion about the future of the legal profession, the effects of technology on the practice of law, and how the local bar association could better serve its members in the midst of this rapid and all encompassing change.
Chrometa: Turning Time Into Billable Value For Modern Lawyers
Adoption of Chrometa represents more than a technological upgrade; it reflects a professional philosophy that values accuracy, transparency, and efficiency.
After our meeting, I began to follow, with interest, Kevin’s posts on the Monroe County Bar Association’s blog. As I read each newly published post, I’d find myself nodding my head in agreement as he pondered the future of lawyers and how bar associations fit into the mix.
For example, in this post, he challenges lawyers to reconsider their role and the way that they deliver legal services given the changing demands of 21st century legal clients:
Are you ready for this next generation of clients (the next generation of lawyers, too)? Is your practice tuned to their wavelength, or are you imagining that they will be just like the last generation of clients (and lawyers)? Don’t bet on that. Are you where they are – online, in social media? Do you work in ways consistent with their expectations – easily available information, online interaction, 24/7 access, being treated as equals? Practicing like that will require some significant changes. Are you ready for that? Or are you resistant?
In another post, he explains why it’s so important for lawyers to pivot with the times:
Stand With Survivors: Legal Tools To Make A Real Difference This DVAM
Enhance your legal skills to advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence.
Lawyers need to be antifragile to survive in this brave new world; doing it “the way we’ve always done it” isn’t going to fly. And don’t imagine that all you need to do to “modernize” legal practice is to somehow “stick that paper form into the computer.” No, we’re looking at a major transformation – a transmogrification – of legal practice.
This was music to my ears! And to read this — written by a leader on a local level — was so heartening. It was also, quite frankly, a bit surreal, since it’s been a long time coming. Technological change marches on and waits for no lawyer. That a leader at the local level recognizes this fact and is prepared to address the issue head on is such an encouraging development.
And then, imagine my surprise when I read about the recent remarks of Hilarie Bass, made when she accepted the position of president-elect of the American Bar Association. In addition to emphasizing the importance of taking steps to increase access to justice, she also called for lawyers to embrace technology.
(I)t is clear that the longer our profession refuses to adopt and adapt its practices to new technologies, the more opportunities there are for alternative services providers and web-based platforms that have found ways to use technology to provide legal services in a more efficient and less costly manner—in many cases reaching people previously unserved by traditional providers of legal services.
Be still my heart! But wait! There’s more, She also addressed law schools and stressed the important role they played in preparing tomorrow’s lawyers for the practice of law in the 21st century:
(Law students need) practical hands on skills, whether through internships or some other form of experiential learning, to allow them to graduate with the ability to solve a client’s problem in a practical and real way.
Imagine that! The incoming ABA president-elect spearheading innovation in the training of new lawyers and in the delivery of legal services. I’m really looking forward to seeing what she’s able to accomplish during her tenure as president of the ABA.
Speaking of bar associations, I’m likewise excited about the future of my local bar association. If you were paying attention earlier, you may have noticed that I referred to Kevin’s take on the role of bar associations in the midst of the non-stop evolution of the legal landscape. From my conversation with him and his blog posts, it’s clear he’s giving a lot of thought to how bar associations in general, and the local bar association, can better meet the needs of the attorneys they serve. For example in this post, he envisions the future of bar associations:
There will probably still be CLE programs offered, but they will be vastly different from what we offer today, not just in terms of content but in terms of delivery, in terms of shape, in terms of effect on the lives of the attendees…Bar associations will need to be online in a fuller, more robust way than they are today – and I don’t mean that they will simply take what they currently do and “online” it (just as modernizing legal practice and court process cannot be merely a matter of “sticking that form into the computer”). No, they will be in the cloud and might be virtual. They will interact with people doing legal work (not just traditional lawyers in traditional law firms) in many different arenas, arenas we can only barely imagine today (just as we can only barely imagine a court system that does not require bricks-and-mortar courthouses to conduct business). Where today bar associations are suppliers of stuff for traditional lawyers lodged in traditional practices, future bar associations (if we play our cards right – if, that is, we are antifragile) will be at the center of things for the new practices of law.
Lofty ideas, indeed, but insightful ones. I for one, can’t wait to see where these bar leaders take our profession. I expect great things from both of them and am looking forward to seeing what what the future will bring.
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase, web-based law practice management software. She’s been blogging since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Daily Record since 2007, is the author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York. She’s easily distracted by the potential of bright and shiny tech gadgets, along with good food and wine. You can follow her on Twitter at@nikiblack and she can be reached at [email protected].