Legal trends: why they're just as much about people as technology.  

The paradigm shift within legal is huge right now; innovation and simplification of everyday processes are being turned over to technology, law schools are implementing these practices early on, and lawyers are freaking out.

Imagine you’re a four year old who just learned what a Twinkie was, fell in love with this old-time dessert, and then November 2012 rolled around...the Twinkie disappeared and you were beside yourself with confused emotions. The legal tech paradigm shift is kind of like that, except we don’t foresee a shelf restock in the future. Old law practices are being cut from the legal diet, but it’s actually good news: it’ll revamp your lifestyle just like yoga centers you, kale can be blended to taste bearable, and your ROC wrinkle cream makes you forget those dark eye circles ever existed.

In actuality, the problem is not the innovation or new practices; the problem is the mind-set that people involved are stuck in. More traditional legal practices have existed successfully for decades and now change—big scary change—is forcing people with a fixed mind-set to adapt.

Dr. Travis Bradberry, co-author of the #1 bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and cofounder of TalentSmart posted an excerpt from his book about the fixed mind-set v. a growth mind-set. People with fixed mind-sets tend to approach things that make them look smart, they avoid challenges, give up easily, aren’t very concerned with how much effort they put forth, and ignore feedback. Those with growth mind-sets desire to learn, embrace challenges, put forth effort that will result in them learning something new, and also want constructive criticism.

Those failing to embrace this new wave of legal trends in innovation and technology approach their challenges with a fixed mind-set, while those growth mind-set folks roll with the punches and find ways to benefit from innovation.

This innovation includes new ideas, tools, and ease on both sides of operations: legal services and clients alike. Lawyers are leaning towards entrepreneurial legal innovation, and it’s happening now!

• I bet sending letters instead of telegrams once seemed tiresome and impersonal. But now, there’s texting, email, video calling, and so much more! Leaving the communication comfort zone definitely paid off.  

• Picture movies, black and white films, and The Wizard of Oz were all productions in which dressing up and going out to see them for the night was an event! Later on, we got VHS tapes we could watch at home, moved on to DVDs and now can customize viewing experiences on our devices in a few swipes. Do you want a life without Netflix? Do you?!

• Way back when, if you had a big box in your trunk to make calls from, boy were you somebody. Eventually Nokia phones with green and black screens rolled around—I remember the best way to pass time in the car was listening to my grandma’s ringtones. And it was awesome. Emerging from flip phones to Razrs to Smartphones has transformed how we do just about everything.

Are you convinced that innovation is good and exciting yet?? Or at least less afraid??

Check out all of the cool online services, news sources, and other legal trends that are changing how we handle legal and paving the way for more innovation to come:

Computational Law:

• Stanford CodeX
• Fantasy Scotus

Research Tools:

• Casetext 
• Upcounsel

Deal Management and Filing:

• Plainlegal
• Wizdocs

Streamlining and Regulation:

• MeWe
• DocketAlarm

Nurture the growth mind-set, and you could be on the path to so many types of greatness. Not just in business or law, but all aspects of your career. One day, you’ll look back and laugh at your fixed mind-set and refusal to implement new practices into whatever area you want to improve. Just depends on how soon you want to laugh.