Introduction\n
\nI'm Jason Barnwell. I'm the General manager for Digital Transformation for the corporate external and legal affairs department of the Microsoft Corporation.
Part 1: Innovating the business of law\n
\nI'm excited about legal innovation because we can do so much more. We have this amazing foundation that we can build on, which is the legal profession, but if we look at how it can contribute more to our organizations and society, by bringing together systems thinking, and some of the other capabilities that come along with legal technology, we can give so much more.
And I think that capacity to contribute and create value gives us the ability to really create a better future, both for our organizations, but also at the societal level. And that's a really exciting opportunity that I walk forward to every day.
\nThe business of law is really a thinking framework that focuses more on value than necessarily conventional notions about the practice of law. And we started the podcast so we can start having conversations about what that really means with the people who are expert practitioners in the business of law, both in kind of the conventional way of like, okay, so if I'm buying this from this person, how much should I pay for it? But also the people who change the service delivery models that fundamentally build a new way of doing legal work. So the business of law ultimately is a conversation that we have to find our way forward and we have a lot of fun with it.
\nPart 2: Importance of culture\n
\nSo all of the work that we do to drive transformation starts with culture and culture is the normative set of behaviours that people build their work on. And if we don't start with culture, we never create sustainable change. Culture of legal is built on relationships, and we need to honor that, but we also need to find a way to take the critical thinking and the relationships that power our work now and bridge into systems thinking and experimentation that takes us where we need to go. And so most of the work that we do starts with culture to bring the people along so that ultimately we can support their work and make them much more effective. And culture gives us a north star to point to when we say this is a good thing for you, this is a good thing for your stakeholders. And so everything we're doing really does build on culture because it is the bridge that connects us to the people we seek to serve. And it gives us a way to build the relationships that helps us bring them along.
Part 3: Creating the future, together\n
\nLaw firms are critical partners in the service delivery models that we use to power our work. And if we look at the incentives that apply to their work, they don't always take them in the right direction. If I ask you the same question twice, you give me the same answer twice and you get to charge me twice. I'm not sure that we're aligned. But ultimately what we need to do is co-create a better way forward because law firms are responding to the signals that we as buyers give them. And so if we want to make a new future and we want to build that together, the best thing we can do is engage with law firms to help them understand, how do we receive value? What are the problems that we have and how can they help us evolve? If we engage in that way, I think we bring them along and we build a better future together.
Building culture that embraces changes for legal professionals is absolutely critical to the work that we do. It is the way that we are going to bring along the most people and give them an opportunity to participate and contribute meaningfully in the future that we're going to build. And the way that we do that is by starting off with understanding what are their challenges, what do they need to accomplish? What are their problems? And if we can honor that and we can serve that, then they can get the most out of what we have to offer.
\nAnd so it starts off with an exercise of empathy and really trying to get in close and understand what are the things that they're trying to do that they struggle with now. And how can we serve that? And if we engage meaningfully in that discovery and we give them things that make them more effective, then they'll embrace what we have to offer and they'll be more effective and we create more value together.
\nPart 4: Technology is an amplifier\n
\nTechnology's an amplifier. If you have something good technology can make it absolutely great. So it starts off with really thinking about what are your processes, and how do you serve? How do you create value for your customers? And then thinking about how you can integrate technology to make that even better. That's an intentional process that you can apply at small scale and at large scale. But ultimately it comes down to people being served by great processes that are amplified by fantastic tools. When you can bring those things together, magic happens.
You don't have to be a tech geek to embrace the future and to thrive in it. But you have to be willing to partner. You have to be willing to learn, and you need to be curious. If you can do those things, there are lots of partners that can help you find your way, and that can augment your capabilities to create something that's better together. So the great news is if you're not a technological geek, you can absolutely make great things happen. You just have to find the right people to work with.
\nI like the way that LawAdvisor is thinking about our problems, because they really are building the future of the practice of law. And when you look at the investments that they're making and how they're thinking about the challenges that customers have, it really builds towards a platform that empowers all of their customers to be more effective and capable with the challenges that are to come. And so, if you're thinking about how you're going to square the circle between exponential demand for your services and flat resource growth, that really gives you a path to the future.
","frontmatter":{"date":"May 04, 2019","slug":"/learn/legal-innovation","title":"Legal Innovation","subtitle":"As a world renowned thought leader in the area of legal operations, technology and the business of law, Jason shares his views on why the industry, and you, can do so much more in the area of legal innovation.","subheading":"We can do more","episode":3,"source":"https://player.vimeo.com/video/706364826?h=f93ccc83e9&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479","thumbnail":"/images/learn/jason.png"}},"allMarkdownRemark":{"nodes":[{"frontmatter":{"duration":"11 MINUTES","episode":1,"title":"Lawyers and Technologists","subheading":"the twain shall meet","subtitle":"World renowned technologist Lars Rasmussen shares his views on why the law needs to change and how law firms can obtain a competitive advantage by adopting tools that their practice and their clients so desperately need.","slug":"/learn/lawyers-and-technologists","thumbnail":"/images/learn/lars.png"}},{"frontmatter":{"duration":"15 MINUTES","episode":10,"title":"LegalOps","subheading":"from Theory to Lift-Off","subtitle":"In this exclusive masterclass, LegalOps titan Mary O'Carroll guides us through the transformative changes happening within the legal ecosystem. With a remarkable background that includes leadership roles at Google and the founding of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC), her insights span the evolution of legal operations and the pivotal role of technology in shaping the future of legal services. Join us for a masterclass that will inspire and inform as we explore the changing landscape of the legal profession with a true industry visionary.","slug":"/learn/legalops-from-theory-to-lift-off","thumbnail":"/images/learn/mary.png"}},{"frontmatter":{"duration":"8 MINUTES","episode":2,"title":"Judgment Day","subheading":"the rise of the tech-enabled law firm","subtitle":"Having served as CEO of Bird & Bird since 1996, and having grown the firm to well over 1,300 lawyers across 29 offices, David shares his views about why he believes the best law firm in the world is one that is most tech-enabled.","slug":"/learn/judgment-day","thumbnail":"/images/learn/david.png"}},{"frontmatter":{"duration":"6 MINUTES","episode":3,"title":"Legal Innovation","subheading":"We can do more","subtitle":"As a world renowned thought leader in the area of legal operations, technology and the business of law, Jason shares his views on why the industry, and you, can do so much more in the area of legal innovation.","slug":"/learn/legal-innovation","thumbnail":"/images/learn/jason.png"}},{"frontmatter":{"duration":"20 MINUTES","episode":4,"title":"LegalOps","subheading":"what's the fuss?","subtitle":"Experienced leaders in the legal operations and legal technology space, and who both led the Barclays team that was named Legal Operations team of the year at the 2019 UK Legal 500 Awards, Chris and Stéphanie - in their own unique way - share their views about the industry's hottest topics: from legal technology, legal operations, and how you can use legal ops and data-driven decision making to improve legal service delivery.","slug":"/learn/legal-ops-whats-the-fuss","thumbnail":"/images/learn/stephanie-chris.png"}},{"frontmatter":{"duration":"9 MINUTES","episode":5,"title":"Panel Firms","subheading":"It's all about the relationships!","subtitle":"As a relationship manager at Barclays, Paul discusses - through first hand experience - why panel firms are important and the value that in-house departments like Barclays are seeking from the law firms within their panel. Paul discusses Barclays' initiatives when it comes to strengthening their relationship with their law firms, and shares his views on why technology is helping relationships thrive in this new normal.","slug":"/learn/panel-firms","thumbnail":"/images/learn/paul.png"}},{"frontmatter":{"duration":"5 MINUTES","episode":6,"title":"Paving the way for #legaltech adoption","subheading":"","subtitle":"As the Lead Practice Innovation & Knowledge Counsel for Paul Hastings, and armed with 18 years of experience in the industry, Catherine continues to push the boundaries for change, education, and legal technology. Having co-founded Paul Hastings’ Legal Tech University, and named as one of the 2020 'European Women of Legal Tech', listen to Catherine share her thoughts on how legal technology can transform the delivery of legal services, and why the future of the legal industry is bright.","slug":"/learn/paving-the-way-for-legaltech-adoption","thumbnail":"/images/learn/catherine.png"}},{"frontmatter":{"duration":"8 MINUTES","episode":7,"title":"Legal Project Management","subheading":"it's here to stay","subtitle":"As the Head of Legal Project Management at Ashurst, and formerly Barclays' Legal Project Portfolio Manager, Helga shares her wisdom from years' of experience about how legal project management principles paired with the right technology can supercharge the efficient delivery of legal services.","slug":"/learn/legal-project-management","thumbnail":"/images/learn/helga.png"}},{"frontmatter":{"duration":"12 MINUTES","episode":8,"title":"LegalOps","subheading":"a framework for success","subtitle":"As the Head of Legal Operations Consulting at Norton Rose Fulbright, and armed with over 20 years of experience in delivering commercial management strategies for in-house legal departments, Stéphanie discusses the rising trend of legal operations and the strong appetite for innovation. She juxtaposes this with a close examination of the barriers preventing widespread adoption of modern day innovations and reminds us all that the business of law is a people business.","slug":"/learn/legal-ops-a-framework-for-success","thumbnail":"/images/learn/stephanie.png"}},{"frontmatter":{"duration":"10 MINUTES","episode":9,"title":"Digital Transformation","subheading":"and the Modernisation of Legal Operations","subtitle":"Chris Grant, one of the world’s preeminent lawtech and LegalOps voices, speaks to LawAdvisor about the modernisation of legal operations and the opportunities it has created for legal technology companies.","slug":"/learn/digital-transformation","thumbnail":"/images/learn/chris.png"}}]}},"pageContext":{"slug":"/learn/legal-innovation"}}}