I jumped on an interesting and informative webinar earlier in the week featuring Paige Bowser the Director of Marketing Technology at Jackson Lewis.  Paige was interviewed by Society 54's Jessica Goldberg.  You can listen to the full webinar here

The first topic of discussion covered what it means to be future ready in legal technology.  Paige gave the following advice:

• Be flexible.
• Be aware.
• Leverage AI if the data suggests and make the shift quickly.

How should a firm go about evaluating and then prioritizing a new technology?

• Prioritize what the firm currently has, making sure you're updated and staying on top of existing technology.
• Leverage existing technology to its fullest capacity.
• Prioritize your time and your energy looking at technology that can have the biggest impact.
• Focus your efforts on a rolling basis instead of everything at once.

With major projects like the CRM, Paige explains that the renewal anniversary is crucial.  Don't waste valuable time researching and looking at new solutions if the contract isn't up for 3 years.

How to build a tech roadmap that meets the firms needs:

• Figure out what the top priorities are for the firm.
• Work out what you can currently meet and what you can't.
• For the ones that can't be met, leverage technologies to decide: is it the technology we have? Is it the structure of the firm and the department? Is it a process problem?
• Be aware that technology is not going to fix everything.
• Be transparent about the struggles; it really helps to educate leadership so that they understand.

How to measure success and tech adoption:

True success in tech adoption goes beyond simple usage metrics like an 80% adoption rate. It's about whether the technology is meaningfully integrated into workflows and helps users achieve their goals. This is measured through direct, qualitative follow-up.

• Adoption rate is an easy metric, but it doesn't always mean success.
• Success is when a tool is embedded in a user's workflow and helps them achieve their goals.
• Proactively follow up with users to ask if the tool is helpful and what could be improved.
• Build relationships with key staff, like secretaries, who can provide honest, on-the-ground feedback.
• Negative feedback is more valuable than positive feedback because it provides opportunities for growth and enhancement.

Paige also highlighted the fact that just because a particular project or rollout might have worked in the past at a different firm, doesn't always mean it will work in the same way at a different firm now.

How to modernize a tech stack:

The first step to modernizing a tech stack is to be goal-oriented, not technology-driven. You must first identify the firm's top goal, deconstruct its complexities, and only then select a technology that supports that goal while also considering future scalability.

Paige suggested that to create firm-wide buy-in for AI, especially with attorneys, a successful strategy is to start with the staff (e.g., assistants). Empowering them with simple, effective AI tools allows them to become champions who demonstrate the value of the technology upwards to the attorneys they support.

Paige signed off with a valuable takeaway, suggesting that firms should continuously re-evaluate processes and tools, even those that appear to be working, to ensure they still meet the goals of the firm and team.

If you would like to listen to all of the chat then please find the recording below: