Peer to Peer Magazine

WWW.ILTANET.ORG 5 For these firms, little has changed in material terms from the world as they knew it in 2014. Competition has eroded their competitive position in all but a few key opportunity areas. Survivors typically have relatively low expectations beyond basic service provision, and they minimize investment in IT. The IT function is run with lowest cost as a prime directive. IT has a highly capable team, strong business orientation and excellent delivery skills. The business, though, is unwilling to seize the opportunity and is reluctant to embrace an enhanced role for IT beyond delivery of a core set of services. IT is increasingly trying to secure internal alliances with more forward-thinking lawyers and using small amounts of budget to pilot more innovative ways of working and delivering client solutions. IT invests a significant amount of effort in trying to help the business get maximum value from existing investments and to encourage the sharing of successful ideas across practice areas. Firms understand the potential for competitive advantage and innovation presented by IT. Ambitions are frustrated by a limited IT function that is not up to the job and is effectively keeping seats warm for a more proactive replacement team who are being recruited. Funding is increasingly being channeled to third-party innovators who can create disruptive new solutions the next round of IT leadership will be asked to deploy. Clients are demanding ever-firmer commitments of when a firm will upgrade its technology capability and orientation. These firms have transformed their relationships with clients through the effective use of IT. They are highly IT-literate, and this is seen as a powerful source of competitive advantage and differentiation. A high level of experimentation and innovation is characteristic of the firm's culture, and clients see it as a first port-of-call to try out new approaches and ideas. The IT function has built a strong reputation for delivery of effective business solutions and has close alignment with key client-facing practice areas. IT's role and innovation potential is well understood and supported and is encouraged to play a central role in creating new opportunities and value. FUTURE SCENARIOS FOR IT Given the speed and scale of change in technology over the next decade, four possible scenarios emerge for how IT could be positioned in tomorrow's law firm: SEAT WARMERS SURVIVORS BUSINESS INNOVATORS FRUSTRATED SUPERHEROES IT CAPABILITY AND ORIENTATION STRATEGIC OUTLOOK ON IT Limited Skills, Lowest Cost Best of Breed, Solution Provider Back Office Commodity Value-Adding Differentiator, Innovation Enabler LEGAL TECHNOLOGY FUTURE HORIZONS LEADER'S DIGEST Leader's Digest Now Available! Download your copy at www.iltanet.org/LTFH Excerpted from ILTA's Legal Technology Future Horizons Report

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