Change, innovation and training
Training to use new systems takes time and dedication from lawyers – the challenge is to find the capacity, says Jack Shepherd, legal practice lead at iManage.
So, your lawyers can’t streamline their workflow until it’s moved to a new system, but they can’t make time for training on the new system because they’re too busy delivering for clients. Sound familiar?
Keep it simple. Don’t tell me you don’t run a mile when you see a four-hour block of training added to your calendar, or a set of instructions in an email longer than most merger and acquisition contracts. Think about formats like bite-sized videos or target times when people are likely to have the headspace for learning.
When pushing for onboarding, I usually prefer to use a carrot rather than a stick, but sometimes it takes for something to be taken away for people to realise they have no choice but to learn how to use a new system.
What can really move the needle is leveraging your lawyers. People are more likely to listen to training from other lawyers (sorry IT department). In an article, Legatics CCO Daniel Porus suggests that you identify your champions and leverage early successes – celebrate those early wins to gain momentum and build greater awareness across the business with people who are eager to be a part of the success.
Training ChatGPT in the art of contracts
In a bid to save time, I’ve been putting ChatGPT through some more testing real-world scenarios. I put its language learning model to the test recently by throwing a few contract drafting scenarios its way. At first glance the results are superficially impressive, but then crumble under any meaningful scrutiny. Part of the problem is that the output of Chat GPT will vary wildly depending on how your input is phrased — for instance, asking the same question in a slightly different way may produce a massively different output. Given its ability to string together a sentence, this is useful for idea generation or creativity, but perhaps less so for a profession that relies on consistency.
The fact is, ChatGPT does not actually understand the legal consequences of the text it spits out. It operates in the vacuum of cyberspace, never taking into account important factors such as what the governing law should be.
To be fair, ChatGPT’s does display a disclaimer that its content should “not to be used without consulting an attorney.” You’d be very brave to use anything more than a few words professionally without thoroughly reviewing and refining its outputs. The general consensus is that, at present, ChatGPT’s role is more suited for producing rough contract drafts rather than final versions. It is a time saver, but like us all, could do with a bit more training.
Collective intelligence isn’t a solo venture
The real goal for upskilling a workforce is reaching maturity in collective intelligence. Overcoming the challenges of hybrid working is as much about upskilling people as it is about technology. The firms that excel – by boosting knowledge sharing and collective intelligence during change – are the ones that address both human and technical aspects. The new post-Covid norm requires lawyers and employees to adapt to new work methods, which as we know, is not easy.
IT leaders must use technology to bridge the gaps in communications and collaboration, actively seeking to move their whole workforce towards a shared goal. Those that do can expect to see diverse perspectives in problem-solving as well as enhanced creativity and innovation within their firms.
How can technology help achieve this? iManage CMO, Dan Carmel, explores how firms and legal teams can tap into their collective intelligence to regain what is lost and win back their momentum in a hybrid world.
