Where is everybody?
With a shortage of talent in the market, Adam Bullion of PracticeEvolve discusses how legal technology providers are assisting law firms.
Over the Easter weekend, we were able to enjoy the warmer weather with a barbecue and some friends over. Having come out of hibernation, our conversation turned to business and the challenges we all face. The common theme for all of us was finding talent within our respective businesses. My friends, all from different industries, stated how shallow the pool is. Competition for talent is fierce and it’s clearly not uncommon for candidates to have several offers on the table at any given time.
The talent shortage is quite a unique situation to be in and as our research last year demonstrated, law firms are not immune from this phenomenon. Indeed, within our research last year, law firms identified both acquiring and retaining talent as a key challenge. According to new articles this week, some businesses have turned towards offering Friday afternoon’s off, as a perk, in an attempt to attract the talent they need. It could be viewed as the beginning of the four-day week as it provides significant flexibility.
With the talent pool being so shallow right now, there is significant impact on law firms and the technology they have adopted. For many firms, legal technology needs to be constantly managed, with customisations and content management, but for many the staff who used to manage this area are now in short supply.
This means firms are starting to consider their own technology strategy and review what is available within the marketplace. They are now looking towards providers who can help them achieve efficiencies with tech that features managed workflows, content and more. Ultimately, it eases the burden on finding talent in a shallow pool.
Additionally, for firms to be ready for the future, they can no longer simply consider the software in isolation. Instead, they must look for providers who can offer a service that supports the technology their business is using. Firms need technology providers who can help them address three key areas. Firstly, they need cloud solutions that help the firm offer flexibility to their own staff. Secondly, firms are looking for software that is connected together to mitigate compliance issues and avoid human error. Thirdly, firms need their providers to do more towards aiding user competency in the software they are using.
The need for better technology and a higher level of service means firms need to review the software in conjunction with the availability of talent, their employees’ needs in terms of flexibility and how the provider can help them achieve their goals of productivity, compliance and efficiencies.
For PracticeEvolve, we understand these challenges facing the market, which is why we are evolving our cloud-based software for law firms to be provided with managed content and a level of service that secures the future of law firms. Ultimately, by providing software with a service, we are helping firms offer greater staff flexibility while also maximising their technology to achieve true efficiencies.
