It’s easy to assume that if you have good people and good technology, the work should just work, but that’s not always the case.
Sometimes, the problem isn’t the people or the tools your firm uses, it’s everything in between.
What does this look like?
- Information spread across different systems
- Systems that don’t communicate
- Processes with too many steps
- People finding their own ways to get things done
None of these things necessarily seem like a big deal on their own, but when they become part of how a firm operates every day, people are forced to individually figure things out just to complete their jobs.
When I was working as a paralegal, there were times when the information I needed existed, but finding it was the challenge. One piece could be in one system, while other parts I needed were sitting somewhere else. Instead of everything being connected, I had to piece it together myself. That meant switching between systems, checking emails, asking questions, and creating my own way of getting things done.
The time spent navigating systems can take people away from the work that actually requires their attention, whether that’s thinking through a case problem or building a relationship with a client.
People don’t create workarounds because they don’t care about the process. Most of the time, they’re creating them because they’re trying to make the process work. If someone has developed a workaround they rely on every day, there’s usually a reason for it. That’s why the workarounds you see on a daily basis can be useful clues into how your team actually operates. They show you where people are struggling, what information is difficult to access, and where a system isn’t supporting the way your team works.
Shifting my career to legal technology has given me a different perspective on all of this. I started thinking more about what it meant to build systems that actually support people using them. What I’ve come to realize is most firms already have what they need in terms of people. They have experienced attorneys, knowledgeable staff, and paralegals who know their clients and understand the work. What firms need to start questioning is whether they’ve given those people systems that allow them to utilize their expertise effectively.
Technology should make it easier to find information, move work forward, and communicate with the people who need to be involved, it shouldn’t create an extra layer of work. That being said, this doesn’t necessarily mean a firm needs more technology. Sometimes it means making better use of what’s already there and making sure the different pieces work together.
Your firm shouldn’t aim to take the human out of the work. There can be a tendency to think that bringing more technology into professional services will make the work less personal. I actually think the opposite can happen.
The right systems can give people more time to be human. If I’m not spending my afternoon trying to track down information, I can spend more time thinking through a problem. If I’m not entering the same information in multiple places, I have more time to focus on the client. If I’m not constantly figuring out how to work around the system, I can focus on the parts of my job that actually require my expertise.
Those are the things technology can’t replace and shouldn’t try to.
Process improvement doesn’t always have to start with finding a new system. Sometimes, the best place to start is by looking at how people are working today:
- Where are people getting stuck?
- What information are they constantly searching for?
- What work are they doing twice?
- What processes have people created for themselves?
- What parts of the process feel harder than they should?
The answers can tell you a lot about what your team actually needs.
The goal isn’t to build systems that only look good in theory. It’s to build systems that work for the people using them, so your attorneys and staff can spend less time navigating their tools and more time applying their judgment, building relationships, and doing the client work that matters.
Good systems don’t replace good people, they allow good people to work more effectively.
