Peer to Peer: ILTA's Quarterly Magazine
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/1540097
10 STRONGER, SUSTAINABLE ADOPTION When firms leverage administrative professionals as champions of change, adoption rates improve and change becomes more sustainable. Why? Consistency: Admins help create standardization across practice groups by reinforcing best practices on a daily basis. Efficiency: Lawyers at all levels benefit when the staff who manage workflows are confident and equipped. Inclusivity: Recognizing administrative staff as adoption partners fosters a culture of shared responsibility, rather than placing all the burden on lawyers. Resiliency: When admins are trusted champions, they are more willing to support future rollouts, reducing resistance and smoothing the path for ongoing innovation. MICHELLE ZAMAN is a Senior Technology Trainer at Morrison Foerster LLP (MoFo), where she leads firmwide learning initiatives that drive technology adoption and innovation. Her background in instructional design brings strategic insight to creating people-centered learning experiences. She leverages generational diversity to drive legal innovation and enhance the long-term sustainability of law firms. Michelle recently joined ILTA's NextGen Legal Innovators Advisory Group to support and mentor the next generation of legal technology professionals. The reality is this: technology adoption in law firms is never just about the tool itself. It's about people, and the people who often make the difference are those behind the scenes, keeping workflows moving no matter what's thrown at them. CONCLUSION For too long, the conversation around technology adoption has centered on attorneys and partners. However, adoption does not occur in a vacuum; it takes place within the day-to-day workflows that administrative staff are most familiar with. By bringing them into the conversation early and recognizing their impact, firms can transform admin staff from passive supporters into active strategists. They become the bridge between partners and non- partners, between practice groups, and ultimately between resistance and adoption. So in your next rollout, do not just train attorneys and hope adoption sticks. Empower the professionals who keep the workflows running. Because when admin staff move from support to strategy, everybody wins.