This week's Daily Record column is entitled "The Future is Now."
A pdf of the article can be found here and my past Daily Record articles can be accessed here.
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The future is now
It's time for the legal profession to pull its collective head out of the sand when it comes to technology, the Internet and Web 2.0.
Technology is here to stay and ignoring it no longer is an option.
Law firms and lawyers who turn a blind eye to technology do so to their own detriment, and their failure to acclimate to rapid technological change is going to catch up with them in 2009.
Like it or not, technology has infiltrated nearly every aspect of life. All kinds of information, including the very latest news, is available online. Phone numbers, addresses and contact information for of every type of business is readily accessible on the Internet. Shopping can be accomplished quickly and securely with the click of a button. Music can be downloaded from iTunes. Movies and television shows can be instantaneously streamed through Netflix or Hulu.com directly to a high-definition television via a laptop.
Likewise, technology has infiltrated the legal profession and leveled the playing field in ways never before seen. Small offices now can compete on even footing with large law firms.
Entire offices can be operated remotely using reasonably priced Web-based tools and applications. Documents can be stored securely on remote servers. Law offices can use Web-based practice management and time and billing applications such as Rocket Matter in lieu of the complicated and expensive software traditionally used by the legal profession.
Virtual law offices now are a reality and the value of online real estate has increased exponentially in recent years. With just a little effort, and minimal expense, solo practitioners can create a strong online presence that competes with that of larger firms.
A well-written law blog and polished profiles and content at JDSupra, Avvo, LinkedIn, and Facebook can do wonders for a lawyer's search engine ranking. Online networking with lawyers and other professionals through Twitter and other online networks can lead to a steady stream of business.
By way of example, over the last six months I've received referrals from other lawyers across the country as a result of networking on Facebook and Twitter.
Potential clients from across New York State have contacted me through my blogs, Twitter and Avvo. I've also had former clients call me after locating me via Internet search engines.
I've been preaching about technological change for years now, as have many other cutting edge, influential lawyers from whom I've learned a great deal: Carolyn Elefant (www.myshingle.com), Susan Cartier Liebel (www.solopracticeuniversity.com), Grant Griffiths (www.homeofficewarrior.com) and Kevin O'Keefe (www.lexblog.com), to name just a few.
It seems the legal field is finally starting to sit up and take notice. Facebook has become mainstream. Law blogs are all the rage.
When I began blogging in 2005, no one knew what a blog was. Now law firms, big and small, are launching blogs at an unprecedented rate.
The legal profession is just beginning to acknowledge the power of technology and the Internet. That's a start, but reluctant acceptance simply is not good enough.
The legal profession must learn to embrace, not fear, the changing landscape. There is still a demand for legal services, and there always will be - technology has not changed that fact. Technology has altered the playing field and the rules of the game by changing the ways in which legal services are marketed, sold and purchased.
The change is not temporary, but permanent. Lawyers who accept and embrace that fact and position themselves for the future - rather than denying its reality - will prosper and profit in 2009 and beyond.
Will you be one of those lawyers?
I feel like we were asking the same questions last year! Perhaps many lawyers fear technology because they believe that technology threatens billable hours. But what do these lawyers think? That clients are dumb?
Posted by: Joe Miller | December 30, 2008 at 01:27 PM
Joe- perhaps and argument for the billalbe hours is just the opposite. Why not make your firm more efficient by bing able to acceess and research information more quickly to bill more clients. Also, makes reaching that magic # of 200 far more realistic for junior associates!
Posted by: Melania | December 30, 2008 at 01:52 PM
Nikki, don't you sometimes feel like the kid in the backseat asking, "Are we there yet?"
After Tom Peters told the ABA at the second Seize the Future conference back in 2001 that they must "innovate or die" - they stopped having those conferences!
I was engaged in consulting with lawyers on using basic office technology to enhance their written work product and knowledge management (2002-2005). In the Knowledge Aforethought blog I started in 03 to support that practice, I asked questions like Where's Your Competition? - suggesting that it was just as likely to come from Bombay (Mumbai) or Bangkok as Buffalo - and Can law firms even do KM?
... Well, let's just say I ended up branching out.
You're absolutely right that things have changed and will continue to change. People (lawyers included) who refuse to embrace the changes will fade away. But I don't know if we'll be able to say 2009 was the year.
Who was it that said the future is already here, but it's unevenly distributed? One of our clients, Lee Thayer, insists that you cannot bestow a benefit on an unwilling recipient. So perhaps you and the other lawyers who are "in the future now" should just go ahead and enjoy your advantage.
Posted by: Tom Collins | December 30, 2008 at 03:48 PM
Joe-I've been asking myself that question for a while now-do lawyers resistant to technological changes think that they're clients are living in the same bubble as they are? What a naive belief!
Melania--IMO the reason billable hours is such a faulty billing system is that it encourages the exact opposite of what you suggest. The incentive is to bill a lot of hours--and getting things done more quickly defeats that incentive.
Tom-Great points, but I disagree that 2009 is too early for rapid change to occur in the legal profession. The culmination of three events-the recession, Obama's election and Gen Y entering the workforce-creates the perfect environment for change.
The mood is set from the top and filters down-and having a technologically hip president/administration sets the tone for the country.
The recession is causing major law firms to collapse and/or desperately reorganize in an attempt to stay afloat. The old system is failing.
And, a generation comfortable with technology is entering the legal field-they're a major impetus for change, since law firms need yong associates in order to function and be profitable.
Only time will tell if I'm correct, but I'm willing to bet I am;)
Posted by: NBlack | December 30, 2008 at 10:08 PM
I'm not disagreeing ... I just don't know if we'll be able to point a finger at 2009 as "the year it all changed" until, say, 2014. Hindsight is ...
Meanwhile, I just find it's more fun embracing the changes than it is trying to convince others to.
Posted by: Tom Collins | December 31, 2008 at 09:03 PM