The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/230349
lessons learned Ingenious Training Serving Up Tech Skills, One Bite at a Time by Bill Caraher of von Briesen & Roper In the 2012 Traveling Coaches Am Law 200 Training Survey, 100 percent of firms admitted users are not realizing their technology investments fully. This is not a failing of the attorneys or staff, but rather a failing of the IT department. We all invest in technology that is not utilized fully in our firms. And a controversial article based on Kia general counsel testing the technology skills of lawyers highlighted the fact that clients are noticing the lack of high-tech skills in attorneys. On several fronts, this is a problem we cannot ignore. von Briesen & Roper made big strides to serve up technology skills in 2013. We expect them to attend a 30- or 60-minute technology class once or twice a month, for which they receive no CLE credit and can bill no hours. There is a fundamental conflict between attorneys serving client needs (i.e., billing their time) and everything else. Attorneys have a very clear Prime Directive: be a productive contributing member to the firm by serving clients with the best legal services possible. Simply stated, they have no time for technology training. They want to learn new things, but nonCLE training goes against their Prime Directive. Put the Users' Needs First For years we have tried to get attorneys to attend our classes. We have talked to ILTA's peer group leaders and committee chairs about linking compensation and training; we have designed elaborate themes and events; we have bribed attorneys with swag, gift cards, treats and electronic gadget giveaways. Yet any bump in attendance was minor and unsustainable. Sure, we force people to attend when it is an end-of-lease upgrade, but even then getting 10 minutes of undivided attention before the smartphones come out is considered a "success." The one thing we have not done is turn the tables and look at training from the attorney's perspective. Talking one-on-one with attorneys, they want to learn new technology and apply it to their practice. However, from their perspective, there are two fundamental problems: time and awareness. Time + Awareness = Adoption Time is the primary factor for why attorneys do not attend training. 110 Peer to Peer The other problem is that most attorneys are not even aware of the amazing programs and solutions the IT department has made available to them. We invest in tools and communicate the