On Wednesday, we hosted a Legal IT Event with panellists from leading firms: Allen & Overy, DAC Beachcroft and Osborne Clarke. The theme was “Digital Transformation and the Role of IT” and the event addressed IT adoption and key challenges, as well as emerging technology and the future of Legal IT.
The online event was attended by representatives from the top 50 UK law firms who submitted questions to the panellists throughout the online discussion. One of the topics centred around ensuring behaviours and rapid decision making, which accelerated during the pandemic, are continually embraced and firms do not fall back into more traditional ways of working.
The IT function within the legal sector has changed rapidly in the past few years, not just in terms of the technology available but also the growth in scope and limitation of boundaries. Andrew Brammer discussed some of the changes Allen & Overy have seen: “A while ago we might have struggled to get people on IT training courses, now they recognise the need to use technology to fulfil their role.” The panel agreed that the role of IT has become more consultative and working collaboratively with business teams is key.
Nathan Hayes (IT Director) from Osborne Clarke expanded on this point whilst addressing the role of IT in Digital Transformation versus the role of the rest of the business: “Playing a consulting role is key for us. We play an essential role in connecting our lawyers with the toolsets they need to deliver key outcomes including outstanding service delivery, reducing risk and improving profitability.”
David Aird from DAC Beachcroft led a discussion around whether firms are fully utilising their current technology stack. The panel discussed issues with adoption and misconceptions as to what can be achieved within legal services. This included how the successful rollout of applications such as MS Teams, over the last year, has proved that barriers to adoption can be overcome. Helping individuals to understand how technology fits into their role is critical for addressing adoption.
Nine Feet Tall Partner and Event Panellist Tiggy Robinson said “we were so pleased there was such an interest in this event and the discussions were animated and valuable. Law firms are starting to move beyond traditional ways of working and IT plays a huge role in enabling this. It has been interesting to hear different opinions and discuss pressing topics such as data compliance and security as well as the value of innovation. I hope our attendees have left with plenty of food for thought.”
A recording of the whole event can be found here for anyone wishing to watch the discussions. If you would be interested in attending our events in the future, please contact: TiggyR@NineFeetTall.com.
