Peer to Peer Magazine

28 PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF ILTA | SUMMER 2016 When I started at Burns & Levinson LLP, I was fresh out of college. My career has been an evolution, and I have been fortunate to work in a firm that supports my professional growth. I began in human resources, moved to training and user support, then into applications and now into practice innovation. What helped me aain a position in innovation? The following principles helped guide me: 1. Be Curious About Your Firm: When I started, I knew nothing about legal. I made a point to learn as much as I could about how a law firm works, how each practice group operates and how all the administrative departments help support the business. Having a holistic view of the firm has enabled me to see commonalities within groups and has helped me beer position myself to see possible solutions. 2. Be Curious About the Business of Law: Innovation doesn't necessarily mean you come up with ideas that will revolutionize the practice of law (although, if you do, great!). An important part of my day is to learn about the business of law from a wide range of thought leaders and futurists and then filter that information through the lens of the culture of my firm. Not only does it broaden my view of the industry, it energizes me to try new ideas. 3. Sit at the Table: When I first saw Sheryl Sandberg's TED talk, her comment on how women should sit at the table and not at the periphery struck me. I saw this in myself and in many technologists, regardless of gender. Historically, technologists have been behind the scenes. If you don't hear from them, it means everything is going well. One of the most difficult things for me was to learn to make myself an active participant in the business. I ask to join meetings and, when appropriate, speak up or volunteer. Don't underestimate how you can help your firm or company. It is important to have confidence, but put away the ego. 4. Practice Empathy: You must have empathy for the people you are working with to understand their problems and motivations. Most aorneys are strapped for time; having empathy for their situation builds a level of respect and trust. Solving problems in a practice area is part process, part people and part technology, with a healthy dose of counseling thrown in. By actively listening, stakeholders will trust in your ability to analyze processes and issues and come up with solutions to help meet their business goals. 5. Keep Moving Forward: The eminent Irish poet James Joyce said, "Mistakes are the portals of discovery." Projects or parts of them will fail, but learning from these failures is important. Part of my job is to build the expectation of continuous improvement through feedback. Don't forget to always move forward professionally as well. If your firm does not have a professional development program, this just means you need to seek out knowledge and learn from great organizations such as ILTA. P2P by Angela Dowd Want a Role in Innovation? Principles To Help Guide You Want a Role in Innovation? Principles To Help Guide You SMART MOVES ANGELA DOWD Angela Dowd is the Director of Practice Innovation at Burns & Levinson, LLP. She joined the firm in September 1998 in human resources before moving into IT. She has been an active member of ILTA for many years, speaking at annual conferences and currently serving on the Board of Directors. Angela has also served in ILTA volunteer roles as the North Atlantic regional vice president and co-city representative for Boston. Contact her at adowd@burnslev.com.

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