Peer to Peer Magazine

P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 1 9 55 in 1200 (see picture). Over 800 years ago, legal textbooks and caselaw were created like works of art and reflected the culture of the times. And in some ways and some law firms, that culture still exists. As Law 2020 evolves into Law 2030, as artificial intelligence-powered software changes the way work is done in the legal industry, as ALSPs find ways to provide what clients need in new ways, and as we all focus on the skills that will be needed to be successful in the next 10 years, we have to ask ourselves if we will leverage the benefits of true diversity and bake it into our way of life? Technological change is coming so quickly that longstanding strategic frameworks are becoming irrelevant, and businesses require new approaches to digital transformation. Could Moore's Law for achieving transformation - a doubling of power every two years be applied to achieving true diversity in a legal organization? Moore's law was not a natural law - it was a projection based on past performance, subject to technical and human limits. It's a broad generalization but I'm pretty sure it is our basic human limits that hold us back here. Our roots are tribal, our legal system is based on precedent and we are fighting inertia. There is a focus on diversity (finally) in many legal organizations – is it working? My guess is yes in some instances and in others the programs being implemented are on paper only. I hope to be proved wrong on that over the next few years. At ILTACON last month, we presented a series of educational sessions on "Law Firm 101: Law Firms, Their Business and Technologies" to help people new in law firms understand the business context and the vocabulary of a law firm. One session was on the business of law, talking about the traditional law firm where things still change slowly. Their focus is on the $ and meeting client pressures to drive efficiencies with minimal change. Firms that look to the future with a focus on culture and creativity lead rather than react, engage everyone in the process of innovation and manage the transition of senior lawyers. Diversity is an important component in all of this, especially in innovation. Recruiting for change, rewarding the runners (the early adopters) and providing resources, time and support for innovation projects should be part of every strategic plan. Those that are successful will, I am sure, prove to be those with diverse teams that become the culture of the firm. How diverse is your diversity program? Often there is a focus on a few areas only. Assessing, affirming policies, programs and supportive services is as important for all components of diversity – gender and gender identity, race and ethnicity, age, religion, veterans, differently-abled, socioeconomic and educational levels and life experience. That can be overwhelming but again, a good focus on all of these leads to organizational success. I am a member of ILTA's Membership Task Force. We've been investigating whether and how to expand membership and participation eligibility, to ensure ILTA's relevance within our industry. The association needs to reflect the industry we serve and the changes underway. That discussion is all around diversity. A peer networking association that was created for the IT leader in a law firm, has evolved into providing value to anyone and everyone who touches technolo in a private law firm, corporate and government law department, or educational institution (mainly law schools). Expanding the definition of Member holds the promise of providing even greater value to ILTA members and business partners. Where that goes next will determine how relevant ILTA is and becomes across the whole legal ecosystem. ILTA has also created a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, working to ensure that ILTA advances the organization's core value to "foster diversity and inclusion throughout the ILTA community." They will address diversity within various areas within ILTA by looking at leadership, programming, charitable and community service, and support for the profession in general. They will propose initiatives and actionable recommendations that promote and support diversity and inclusion within the organization, volunteer roles, and the legal technolo community as a whole. It's that last bit that really interests me. Can ILTA help to mature the legal industry in diversity? I hope so. I leave you with a final question: "How long will it be before we don't need Diversity Initiatives?" ILTA B O O K O F L E G A L S T U D I E S F R O M T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F B O L O G N A I N 1 2 0 0

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