Five years ago, I was a litigation lawyer trying to get more done without working day and night. I knew other firms were doing things differently, and I tried to educate myself. I read social media and articles, watched product demos, and tried to test things out. We attempted a few changes to the way we work, but nothing stuck.
Looking back, I realise that I started to make real progress when I began attending workshops. I took annual leave to attend a two-day digital law masterclass run by the Centre for Legal Innovation. I went to a group workshop run by a business development coach. I spent some time with a mastermind group discussing real change.
Yes, I had to take time away from clients that was difficult to justify, but without these workshops I would never have transformed from a litigator in a paper-based general practice to a full-time legal tech consultant. Today I’m doing work that I love, and every day I get to make a difference and help people.
If you are serious about transforming your legal practice, your department, your organisation, or your own career, you should make time to go to workshops.
What is so special about workshops?
When I say workshop I’m not talking about a day-long legal seminar where a series of unpaid presenters read out a dense paper on a legal topic. The quality of these events is variable, interaction with colleagues is minimal, and you may come away with CPD points but not much else. What I’m talking about is small group workshops run by skilled facilitators who have the commercial skills and experience that you need to grow your legal practice.
1 - Stronger together
If you are trying to make real change happen, you can’t do this alone - you need to find your tribe. These are people who think like you and believe that there are better ways of working. You need mentors, supporters, teachers, coaches, and sponsors to help you on your quest. Workshops will introduce you to people outside your existing network who can help you and you can help in return.
2 - Inspiration
To sustain you through change, you need to be very clear about why the effort is worthwhile. Spending time with people who have walked your path and succeeded can help you to clarify your goals and the benefits you expect to see so you can persuade the team you need to bring along with you.
3 - Practical real talk
You don’t have time to waste. By speaking to others facing the same issues and hearing the same sales pitches, you can benefit from their experiences and save yourself from making the same mistakes. Coming from litigation, I was used to adversarial interactions with colleagues, so I was surprised to see people generously sharing their real-life experiences. In the legal tech community, you’ll discover that the people who are forging the trail genuinely want to help others.
4 - Learn fast
Learn about new solutions, and see use cases for the tech you already have or that you’ve heard about. Hearing someone else’s perspective on a problem you’ve been struggling with is invaluable; it can help tease out the best solution for your circumstances, remove a persistent blocker, or open your eyes to things that were staring you in the face. Some of this information isn’t in the user guides or would take you lots of trial and error to work out from scratch.
5 - Motivation
Everyone needs to top up the energy banks every now and then. Making a connection with others who share a commitment to a shared goal is exciting. We are remaking the legal industry to build profitable businesses that deliver accessible legal solutions to people and businesses that need help. Hanging out with like-minded people reinforces that you are on a worthwhile path. A good chunk of time immersed in talking about what is possible is a great way to recharge and refocus.
This year, try a workshop instead of a legal seminar. Spend some of your CPD points acquiring skills that will enable you to build a profitable, high-performing and resilient legal practice.
Where can you find them?
· Follow the Centre for Legal Innovation – they are running a two-day generative AI event later this year
· Register for my Tech Enabled Lawyer workshops in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in March 2023
· Follow Clarissa Rayward – she regularly runs workshops on fixed pricing and other topics aimed at small law firm owners
Any other workshops you recommend? I’d love to hear.