From the board room to the office canteen, few topics featured more prominently at law firms last year than artificial intelligence (AI). Depending on who you talk to or what you read, AI is either the saviour of the legal profession or a potential threat to the career prospects of future lawyers.
In truth it is none of those things. I am a firm believer in the power of AI and I am convinced it will play an increasingly important role for forward thinking and innovative law firms like Kennedys, both in terms of how we deliver services to clients and how we run our firm as a business. Put bluntly, our future success depends upon it.
The junior lawyers set to join the firm this year will be far more tech savvy than even those who joined us a generation ago. They will need to be as comfortable with AI as they are with case law. However, the very automation they are embracing also risks limiting the practical exposure needed to develop essential legal skills.
This challenge is precisely why we have partnered with Spellbook, a leading generative AI platform for lawyers, to launch a pioneering programme designed to equip the next generation of lawyers with the skills, judgement and adaptability needed to thrive in our increasingly automated legal market. Essentially, creating AI-fluent lawyers.
The work doesn’t end there, all of our long-term strategic thinking has a vital AI component. Experienced chief knowledge officers that understand new technologies, like our own Cathy Goodman who joined us late last year and leads our partnership with Spellbook, will increasingly play a critical role in deciding the strategic direction of major law firms.
However, one of our other recent hires highlights for me why the truly modern, innovative law firm of the future cannot rely alone on the latest AI software. This summer we welcomed Tracy Watkinson as our first chief operating officer.
Tracy has a banking background, and for me bringing that external perspective from outside our sector to running a law firm’s operations is equally as important as our investment in the latest technology in our quest to be fit for purpose for the next century as Kennedys has been since 1899.
For too long, law firms have not been managed efficiently or embraced modern management rigour and the introduction of efficient systems that underpin it. We need to drive effectiveness and embedding operational excellence, all the while helping us work more collaboratively and in greater alignment to achieve our goals
This can be particularly true for firms like us, managing a global footprint ranging from Seattle to Auckland that brings the added complexity of multiple offices, markets and time zones.
At Kennedys, we pride ourselves on our service and helping our clients to stay ahead in a rapidly changing legal and insurance landscape. This requires a team effort across our almost 3,000 people, whether as partners, associates or business services. Without a well-functioning or effective finance function, state of the art HR systems or a world class business development team, we would fail to deliver on that promise. That is why we are passionate about building purpose-led, high-performing teams across the whole firm that challenge conventional thinking.
That combination of the latest innovative technology and effective management systems with a clear global business vision and strategy underpinned by an investment in people and a distinctive supportive culture is our north star, and I would argue integral for any successful law firm.
If we do not have that focus on innovation across the entirety of our business, we will fall by the wayside. It is our responsibility to each other, and to our clients, that we continue to develop and grow.
The Global Legal Post is hosting a webinar, on The Future of Legal Drafting: How People and Al Can Unleash the Power of Firm Knowledge.
Join this free live webinar – sponsored by LexisNexis Europe – on 19 February at 12:00 CET to explore how law firms are beginning to transform legal drafting, combining human expertise with Al to unlock firm knowledge, improve consistency and drive efficiency.
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
