The practice of law and how legal services are delivered is changing and will change further. At the same time more legal professionals are looking to innovate and leverage technology to help deliver legal services, both for today and the future.

Recently LawTalk published an in-depth feature looking at the future of legal services in New Zealand. LawTalk approached “five innovative New Zealanders working in the legal services industry about the changes needed today and what they think could happen over the next few years”. I was privileged to be one of these “innovative New Zealanders”. The others were –

• Michael Smyth, sole practitioner and director of Approachable Lawyer
• Claudia King, CEO and founder of Automio
• Simon Tupman, a consultant to law firms on leadership, culture and change + the organiser of the annual Future Firm Forum
• Gene Turner, Managing Director of LawHawk

All of the contributors provided excellent insights for the delivery of legal services for today and the future.

You can read the full LawTalk feature here.

One of the biggest changes I highlighted for law firms of the future was –

The law firms of tomorrow will be the ones that innovate through leveraging technology, to deliver more efficient legal services. Those that are open to innovation and embracing technology will be the ones that lead the way. The ones that choose not to, could be left behind by an increasingly competitive market.

I reinforced how legal services are delivered has changed and will continue to do so.

The fundamental practice of law will remain the same, however those who see the opportunities in exploring new ways to innovate and drive efficiency and adapting to change will lead the way. They will be able to –

1. Make their firm more efficient and ultimately profitable; and
2. Deliver a better and more valuable service to clients.

My final takeaway was –

There will be further evolution and innovation in how legal services are delivered.

In this age of disruption, you cannot stand still, as it will be important to remain curious and open to change. The profession should continue to ask themselves: “how can we do this better – to deliver legal services that are more efficient, profitable, whilst providing greater value and outcomes for their clients.”

Even though this feature focused on New Zealand, many of the insights presented are common challenges and opportunities that could be applied to the delivery of legal services the world over.