Here’s a great article by Monica Zent on how and why lawyers should adopt an innovation mindset. I particularly enjoyed her discussion of Meyers-Briggs personality types and how these inherent traits we have may impact our ability to adopt an innovation mindset.
I found the comment that as an entrepreneur, the author “operate[s] in a constant state of chaos created by the unknown and with a high degree of risk at all times” particularly interesting. Generally, we think of lawyers as the people who are meant to reduce risk, not embrace it. Perhaps though, as this article advocates, it is essential for a lawyer to embrace risk in order to most effectively do their job. It is only by recognizing that risk exists that lawyers can begin to start dealing with it in innovative ways. I agree with the article that lawyers can and should be using data to work more efficiently. Data should never replace the human component of making decisions inherent in lawyering, but can inform those decisions.
Usually when you read articles about the personalities of lawyers vs entrepreneur’s, they don’t provide any advice on how to change that lawyer mindset. I like how this article communicated the possibility to change with relatively simple steps. They weren’t so convoluted and complex that the average person couldn’t make it a goal to be more innovative. I also enjoyed how she inferred that those that aren’t creative/innovative will be left behind. Computers are becoming more and more able to perform “routine work tasks” and companies will only need those that bring something different to the table. People don’t usually talk about how lawyers will be replaced. They tend to only talk about how those lower on the law school pyramid (legal secretaries, paralegals, etc) will be replaced. Makes me think of the phrase get with it or get left behind.
I thought this article was really interesting and fit well into what we talked about in class previously this semester. It seems apparent that people attracted to the law profession are also not intuitively innovative. Lawyers, by nature, are risk adverse and like the “status quo.” I would say this is more of an opportunity than anything else who are willing to capitalize on this discrepancy. For example, I think whoever acknowledges that the billable hour is not the only business model will benefit. However, like the above comments pointed out, I like that this article helps bridge the gap on that discrepancy. It is not lawyers will never be entrepreneurial, it is how can they try to be more entrepreneurial. I also like that they point out that automation should be embraced. It seems like people are much too afraid of losing parts of what they know. However, that opens the profession up to new ways of doing things, more creativity, and efficiency.
Patrick, thank you for sharing. I like how this article condensed how to incorporate innovation as an attorney into four points. I agree with Jennifer than people that are attracted to the legal profession are usually risk-adverse but in an age of innovation, lawyers can’t afford to be left behind!