Are organisations adequately supporting the current and future lawyer?

Jenny Hotchin, legal practice lead at iManage, examines the ‘quiet quitting’ trend and the role legal tech could play in keeping employees motivated.

Quiet quitting

At least 50% of the U.S. workforce is now made up of ‘quiet quitters’, finds a report from Gallup. The term, which has been doing the rounds on social media in the last few months, refers to the idea of coasting in your role and not going any further than your job description.

The study, based on a random sample of 15,091 full- and part-time US employees suggested that the overall decline was especially related to clarity of expectations, opportunities to learn and grow, feeling cared about, and a connection to the organisation’s mission or purpose.

According to the report, engagement figures are particularly low among remote Gen Z and younger millennials (those below the age of 35), as “less than four in 10 young remote or hybrid employees clearly know what is expected of them at work.”

Is it possible to function on an operational level as a lawyer while quiet quitting? I’m not so sure – such are the demands on knowledge workers, especially when needing to keep up with clients’ needs. Perhaps improving the working conditions, the tools and the processes and training is the noisier, better way to go?

Education for the lawyer of tomorrow, today

Talking about making noise, Law School 2.0 attracted over 700 lawyers, legal and legal tech professionals, and students to its Legal Tech Vacation Scheme this year. The course aims to arm attendees with a foundation of knowledge and practical skills, enabling them to excel in their chosen career paths, and help their organisations tackle the knotty challenges of legal service innovation. Missed it? Fear not. Law School 2.0 has partnered with iManage and BARBRI Global to launch an online, on-demand and free version of the course. The legal service innovation (LSI) course will be launched in early 2023. Guest lecturers from around the world will present a broad and comprehensive curriculum. The aim of which is to ‘level up’ the industry by sharing practical advice and experience on legal service innovation.

It’s the outcomes and relationships that legal tech improves

In this profile piece of Jim Delkosusis in the FT, he shares great insight into how legal tech adoption can be easier and find less friction when pushed through an in-house route, and stresses that bringing in legal tech is not just about doing a specific job. He has found, as many have in recent times, that the benefits of legal tech should not be pigeon-holed to law firms saving documents or using e-signatures – there are business outcomes beyond ‘just efficiencies’ that can be realised too. Ultimately, as Delkosusis puts it, “what’s really important is the relationship [clients have] with law firms and making sure you’re getting value.” Using technology, in tandem with processes and people, is making knowledge work and achieving better business outcomes.

Sign up to join the first cohort of students at http://www.legalserviceinnovation.com.