An entire generation of Americans who have grown up with technology at their fingertips is entering the legal workforce, impacting how law firms operate and how work is performed. Generation Z lawyers, those born in or after 1996 and represented in the law school class of 2019, not only embrace the ubiquitous use of digital technologies, they do not know how to operate in a world without them — and, as a result, expect them in every facet of their lives.
With approximately 23 million Americans in this generation, Gen Z will become the fastest-growing population in both the U.S. workplace and marketplace in just a few years. As such, it is important that law firms look to adapt to the needs of this emerging workforce and embrace their new ways working as they seek to attract and retain the next generation of attorneys.
Law firms recruiting this new class of associates will be faced with a generation of lawyers who bring newfound work principles with them. For example, members of Gen Z are more likely to seek career opportunities that provide a sense of purpose or meaning, are less receptive to working long hours at the office, and will expect the option of remote work arrangements and flexible hours.[1] But perhaps most important of all is that Gen Z lawyers are digital natives who grew up with technology at the center of their lives from their earliest memories.
Gen Z lawyers have a base assumption that law firms will embrace any and all technology tools that support them, ranging from mobile devices and apps to productivity tools and video conferencing. This includes tech-enabled solutions that are at the foundation of the legal profession: Legal research.
Recently, LexisNexis commissioned PwC to conduct a comprehensive study of more than 5,000 U.S. law students at 201 ABA-accredited U.S. law schools. The Next-Gen Legal Tech Study results provide tremendous insights into future lawyer attitudes, behaviors, and key drivers of what they want from a legal research solution. The top line finding from this research is that Lexis Advance is the preferred legal research tool among next-gen lawyers.
Overall, 50 percent of law students said they prefer Lexis Advance for legal research (compared to 46 percent who prefer Westlaw Edge, the nearest competitor). Similar to today’s practicing attorneys, the study found there are two attributes law students value most in legal research technology: Speed of results (62 percent) and ease of use (73 percent). While the attributes driving preference remain the same as previous generations, what has changed among these next-gen lawyers is their reliance on visualization and analytics tools to help guide their research and obtain deeper insights.
Specifically, the study found:
* 77 percent of law students find visualization tools helpful for identifying the most relevant results. Diving deeper, those using Lexis Advance are benefiting the most, with 80 percent of Lexis Advance users stating that LexisNexis visualization tools make it quick and easy to find the most relevant results, as compared to only 59 percent of Westlaw users.
* 76 percent of law students say that legal analytics tools are helpful for performing analysis or drafting legal memoranda. Again, Lexis Advance users are deriving more value from analytics than users of other platforms, with 77 percent of Lexis Advance users stating LexisNexis provides the most effective AI and analytics tools, compared to just 68 percent of Westlaw users.
Gen Z lawyers are destined to help usher in a new era of improved productivity at law firms by using data and technology to free them from mundane tactical work, allowing them more time to focus on the high-value strategy work. Their digital-first mindset allows them to use previously unimaginable technologies to help drive new efficiencies in the business of law, pinpoint new insights in the practice of law for clients and create new value for law firms in how they serve clients.
But it is essential for law firms to understand what the members of Gen Z are seeking in a career experience if they are going to effectively recruit and retain the next generation of standout lawyers. Tomorrow’s most successful law firms will adapt to and embrace this generation’s new ways of working in partnership with technology and seek to harness their “know-how.”
One key strategy for winning the talent war is to make available to next-gen lawyers the technology tools and resources that enable them to work faster and smarter and training programs that better prepare them for the adoption of new technologies.
This will require firms to focus on building a diverse and inclusive workforce, creating opportunities for young lawyers to find purpose in their careers, and rethinking traditional models of the workplace. It will also require a serious focus on acquiring the specific kinds of technology solutions and tools that are in alignment with the expectations of these young lawyers.
Read the Next-Gen Legal Tech Study at https://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/nextgenstudy.aspx
Paul Speca is Vice President of the U.S. Large Legal Markets and Law Schools businesses for North American Research Solutions. In this role, he serves students in all accredited law schools, and practicing attorneys in firms with 50 or more attorneys. In this space, he is responsible for Market Strategy, Marketing, Customer Satisfaction, and Sales for our legal research, practical guidance, and due diligence products.
[1] Pew Research Center:
https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/11/15/early-benchmarks-show-post-millennials-on-track-to-be-most-diverse-best-educated-generation-yet/