New from the CBA Legal Futures Initiative this month is a two-part tool for small and solo law firms: a report on the state of innovation in their sector of the profession, including interviews with lawyers who have blazed their own trails, along with a practical guide for managing change.
And before you ask, it’s not all about technology.
The first part of the tool examines emerging trends in the business of law, and ways that small and solo firms can embrace innovation, both through simple adjustments and more complex changes that can include, but are not limited to, advances in technology, in order to provide better service to their clients.
Futures also interviewed a number of innovators about how they managed things like transitioning to a paperless office, how they work in virtual offices, or even what they consider when hiring freelancers.
The Futures Initiative then took the content of those interviews and created a workbook – a series of worksheets to act as guides for a practitioner who might be interested in doing the same thing. The worksheets include checklists and step-by-step guides through complicated processes to help practitioners decide whether and how to take a next step.
“Whether you’re starting a new law firm or looking to make changes to your existing practice, you have a unique opportunity at this moment to influence, and model, the future of legal practice,” the report says. “As you consider the options for innovation, understand that it is not a one-time process. We must work hard to continually move our industry forward.”
There will also be a podcast series based on the project – be sure to keep an eye out for it on The Every Lawyer, the CBA’s new podcast channel.