Peer to Peer: ILTA's Quarterly Magazine
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/1540097
P E E R T O P E E R M A G A Z I N E ยท F A L L 2 0 2 5 63 T he legal profession is increasingly overlapping with technology transformation, requiring lawyers to become more comfortable with using technology solutions and more attuned to how new advancements will impact their practice. In addition to building technical skills, many lawyers will also need to mentor and lead team members in aligning the profession to a digital-first landscape. Doing so will require a unique approach to leadership. One that will simultaneously help technology novices learn new skills and guide a rising cohort of tech-savvy professionals entering the field. There are two key areas leaders can draw upon to help guide their approach on this front: lessons learned from legal functions that have been technology-driven for many years (e.g., ediscovery), and insights from managers who have been working closely with Generation Z employees as they have entered the workforce over the past five years. Most lawyers whose work requires involvement with ediscovery processes have become quite comfortable with technology. That was not always the case, however. Manual processes and widespread concerns once plagued ediscovery, but the use of analytics and machine learning technologies would impede the complete and accurate review of evidence. However, by establishing standardized methodologies and benchmarks that could validate the results, technologists and counsel were able to effectively and iteratively incorporate reliable technology workflows into many phases of the ediscovery lifecycle. A similar approach is now needed to help teams become more comfortable and capable with the latest technological advancements. This includes effective use of generative artificial intelligence across legal functions. Conducting tests or pilot projects that demonstrate how to apply new tools and build trust in their reliability will be important. Additionally, leaders can empower their teams to experiment (in controlled environments) and bring ideas for how they would like to see technology shape and improve their work. This kind of collaboration between practice teams and leaders will surface new ideas, boost engagement, and ensure that technology implementations address actual pain points. BY LILY WEN