THE FUTURE OF LAW AND LEGAL OPERATIONS

Being futurist keynote speakers, we’re often asked to examine wide-ranging topics such as the future of law and legal operations. These are subjects we’ve been proud to explore in recent months as business strategy and future trends columnists for leading publication Corporate Counsel, which serves the needs of thousands of practicing attorneys at Fortune 1000 firms. Haven’t caught our recent columns? Just a few subjects we’ve recently explored include:

How Technology Can Help You Transform Operations – There’s a reason why legal secretaries and back office staff are among today’s fastest-declining professions: Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation/robotics (as well as a growing focus on eDiscovery) are transforming the shape of entire departments, and helping teams become far more agile and adaptive. We discussed how new technology trends can give your organization the tools and insights that it needs to operate at exponential speed and productivity levels.

Defending Against Digital Dangers: How to Prevent Cyber Security Threats – Mountains of sensitive data are continuing to move online, even as we’re all increasingly shifting to virtual operations. But cybersecurity is also today’s fastest growing source of crime, and despite the fact that incidents happen every 39 seconds, around 85% of organizations have virtually no response plan currently in place. We explained how to guard against digital dangers using both low-tech (education, cyber awareness) and high-tech (network defense tools, penetration tests, etc.) methodologies.

Rethinking the Role of General Counsel – In the past, many corporate counsels have often served as high-level troubleshooters of sorts. But as it turns out, the most effective business development people and strategists we’ve ever met are often attorneys, who not only boast tremendous understanding of the law, but also tremendous problem-solving abilities, consistent levelheadedness, and vast understanding of all the potential nuances and opportunities inherent in a deal. (And can greatly expedite the amount of time it takes to get a deal done by virtue of their ability to put the paperwork together.) We explain why they should think about the more active role they can play in strategic planning – and why any member of the C-suite would do well to ensure they always have a seat at any negotiating table.

How Corporate Counsels Can Become Powerhouses of Innovation – As it turns out, you don’t need to be a genius to get ahead in business today – rather, just a little bit more clever and ingenious instead. Evolutionary changes such as simple shifts in strategy, or even packaging and presentation, and simple shifts in focus (say, to position your products to appeal to a new audiences) can prove equally adept at creating positive business results as revolutionary, game-changing breakthroughs. We explained how corporate counsels can become every bit as effective at helping organizations create ongoing success as any Chief Innovation Officer.

Addressing the Online, Connected, and Flexible Future of Work – Remote and hybrid work is the new normal; virtual desktops and online connections are standard; and flexibility in scheduling, work assignments, and operating or management models is the new norm. Heck, the world’s largest tech companies are already completely reinventing employee management and benefits programs to design them around individuals’ needs, and adopt a more employee-centric vs. employer-first focus. We explored how the working world is changing – and where we need to think about designing policies and programs to adapt to it.