Hybrid powers

The theme of Time To Talk day 2021 was the ‘power of small’ – which feels like something big law firms need to reflect on as they seek to keep their organisations pulling together, their cultures preserved, people engaged – and indeed that dispersed productivity humming – through these extraordinarily challenging times. Initiatives, change projects, commitments and communication drives are all undeniably important, but the barrier mass homeworking poses to finding that serendipitous ‘watercooler moment’ has been widely acknowledged. It’s when you’re queuing for the kettle you realise you need a catchup with somebody about something else – so something useful happens that otherwise may not. But points like this can also be a good opportunity to share how you’re feeling, or of course that you’re struggling. This needs thought, not just as we enter the second year of a terrible pandemic with choices restricted, but also as organisations consider how they want to work in the longer term.

ENGAGING SUCCESS

A recent Briefing roundtable, with Wilson Allen, considered the challenges for law firms when leveraging business development data to drive change. Richard Brent reports

LEGAL CREATION CONUNDRUM

In a two-part exploration of the state of legal business innovation, Mark Ford, chief knowledge officer, Baker McKenzie, first considers the persistent challenges in the traditional law firm ecosystem

TIME FOR TRANSFORMATION

Stephen James, founder and group CEO of leading Microsoft partner sa.global, says many law firms may have managed a relatively smooth transition to remote working, but the big winners will be those embracing true business transformation