are law firms on top of hybrid-working challenges? Legal IT experts discuss a cloud-based culture

How can law firms adapt to the cultural, security and collaboration challenges of working in a hybrid environment? Are legal businesses truly leveraging the advantages of cloud technologies? And how can legal leaders push ahead with technological transformation while staying in lockstep with their organisation’s cultural status quo?

These are some of the questions Briefing attempted to answer in our latest webcast: The platform for a more collaborative and secure law firm culture.

Watch on to hear our expert panel answer questions around these topics and discuss the road ahead for the use of cloud-based legaltech:

• Richard Brent, head of content, Briefing
• Dawn Ingle, IS director, Shoosmiths
• Anthony Stables, CIO, Forsters
• Mike Creffield, business manager, NetDocuments

New hybrid horizons

To begin, Stables contributed an overview of the recent tech transformation project at Forsters, ‘Project Apollo’, including the management of documents, a broad change of tech systems undertaken from 2018 onwards. Part of the rationale for this and other transformations was the need to drive on with agile working methods, he added, and a change of practice management system – a huge challenge for the firm.

Further changes included implementation of NetDocuments, making it possible to search pdfs, track use of documents, and the linking of documents and matters to one another as well as financial information and audit logs.

Having a more accessible, “omni-channel” approach to information and technology is one area Stables added into the mix, and one which Ingle at Shoosmiths echoed. She also discussed the challenges around law firm culture and people expectations, as well as capturing ‘watercooler conversations’. Facilitating those information exchanges is likely to take place on MS Teams open channels – though getting people talking face-to-face is a major part of the wellbeing and cultural values of the firm, she said, and WFH productivity burnout – including getting away from Teams where possible – is an issue IT perhaps will struggle to solve alone.

Both surfaced points around wellbeing issues and facilitating hybrid working on a human level, including Stables’ exhortation to avoid hybrid training calls at almost all costs.

Hear more hybrid-working insights in the full webcast recording

Want to watch the video on YouTube? Click here.