At LEX Summit 2024, I opened my talk with a blunt truth:
“It’s not a f#%king brief.”
Because it’s not. The future of law isn’t just about better motions or airtight arguments—it’s about building systems, empowering people, and enabling your law firm with the right technology to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
The Real Problem Isn’t Tech. It’s Us.
There’s a Mark Cuban quote that hits hard:
“Technology is not the enemy; complacency is.”
If you run a law firm in 2025 and you're not actively investing in technology and training, you're not just falling behind—you’re creating risk, wasting talent, and hemorrhaging time.
Lawyers are quick to blame tools for inefficiencies. “This slows me down,” we say. “I don’t have time to learn another system,” or my personal favorite, “I’m more productive the old way.”
But the truth? That’s fear talking. It’s inertia dressed up as wisdom.
What we really mean is, “I don’t want to change.” But if you’re leading a modern law firm, you don’t have the luxury of that kind of thinking anymore.
The Legal Industry Is in Flux—And We’re Feeling It
We’re living through a seismic shift in the legal talent market:
What’s driving this? It’s not just about pay. It’s about purpose, flexibility, culture—and yes, the tools we use to get the job done.
Modern legal professionals want to work in firms that are forward-thinking. They want systems that make their jobs easier, not harder. They want to do meaningful work without fighting broken processes.
That means our technology stack isn’t just an operational issue—it’s a talent issue. And talent is the game right now.
Sloppy Work Has No Excuse in 2025
Justice John Paul Stevens once said:
“Sloppiness in the preparation of court papers is inexcusable.”
That quote hits differently when you realize how many law firms are still manually formatting briefs, duplicating work across platforms, and wasting billable hours on tasks that should be automated.
It’s not just inefficient—it’s malpractice waiting to happen.
Legal tech has evolved. Document automation, intake systems, CRM tools, AI-enhanced research, time tracking, case dashboards—they’re all here, and they work. But they only work if we use them.
And yet, we still hear:
These aren’t reasons. They’re red flags.
If you think learning a new tool is “too slow,” wait until you’re losing clients because of missed deadlines or unresponsive service. Or worse—burning out your staff because your systems can’t scale.
Implementation Is a Process, Not a Checkbox
Buying a shiny new case management tool doesn’t fix your problems. Implementation is where transformation happens—or doesn’t.
Here’s the mindset shift:
Tech enablement isn’t an event. It’s a process.
It requires:
Companies that get this right outperform the rest:
The takeaway? Training isn’t an expense. It’s a retention strategy.
Give Your People Ownership
You can’t just throw tech at your team and expect results. You have to give them a seat at the table.
Empower your team to choose the tools they’ll actually use. Let them pilot systems. Ask for their input. Get feedback. Iterate.
Because the best tech isn’t the most expensive. It’s the tech your team actually uses.
The firms that thrive will be the ones where team members feel a sense of ownership over the systems they rely on.
They’ll be the firms where legal assistants automate intake processes instead of entering data manually. Where paralegals know how to generate settlement packets with one click. Where young lawyers learn to delegate to systems, not just people.
Ownership turns resistance into engagement. And engagement is how change sticks.
The Real Risk Is Moving Too Slow
Jeff Bezos said it well:
“If you're good at course correcting, being wrong may be less costly than you think. But being slow is going to be expensive for sure.”
In other words, you don’t need to get it perfect. You just need to start.
Trying a new intake system and adjusting beats waiting 18 months to make a “perfect” decision. Launching an internal chatbot to triage common questions beats another year of email tag.
Perfect is the enemy of progress. And in 2025, speed is a competitive advantage.
Leadership Brings the Weather
I tell law firm leaders all the time: you are the thermostat. Not the thermometer.
Your team’s willingness to embrace change won’t come from a Slack announcement or a lunch-and-learn. It’ll come from watching what you do:
“Leaders bring the weather,” as the slide says.
If you’re showing up with resistance, skepticism, or sarcasm about new systems—don’t be surprised when your team does too.
Culture cascades from the top. And right now, your firm needs a culture of innovation, adaptability, and curiosity.
Your Move: Tech Enablement Starts With a Choice
You don’t need to be a coder. You don’t need a six-figure tech budget. You just need to make a decision:
Do you want to lead a firm that’s future-proof—or one that’s falling behind?
Every law firm leader faces this choice in 2025:
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Continue as-is. Keep “winging it” with email threads, disjointed workflows, manual data entry, and stressed-out teams.
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Invest in enablement. Choose tools that align with your systems. Train your team. Embrace the discomfort of learning. Commit to consistent iteration.
Only one of those paths leads to a law firm that scales sustainably, attracts top talent, and delivers five-star service at every touchpoint.
The choice is yours.
Final Thoughts
It’s not a f#%king brief.
It’s your business.
And if you’re serious about building a law firm that endures, that grows, and that gives you the life you actually want—then tech enablement isn’t optional. It’s foundational.
This is your moment to lead with vision. To model the mindset you want your team to embrace. To make systems your the superpower that lets your people shine and gets results for your clients.
Because the future isn’t coming.
The future is now.
