I had a friend who was so petrified of heights that he wasn’t even comfortable in a three-story building. Then his business sent him and some of his colleagues on a teambuilding-type trip somewhere off the beaten track. What he didn’t know was that part of this trip would involve jumping into a natural pool from a ledge — a ledge 20 feet above the water.
I wish I could have seen his face when he learned about that. I imagine it was quite different from the ecstatic look on his face when he came back. He was beaming when he returned, so chuffed that he managed to do the jump (and not just once). After he overcame his initial fear, he relished in the adrenaline rush, excited to jump several more times.
There is quite a lesson to be learned from my friend’s experience. We usually feel pretty tense about our fears, but the tension is potential energy. If we overcome the fear, that energy has the power to enact positive change.
Having been in the legal industry for quite some time, I have picked up on three major fears that lawyers seem to have — fears that I believe hold them back.
Not Competition
Lawyers tend to be pretty competitive people by nature; they can often be found comparing billables, how little sleep they get, or just even the Biglaw firms in which they work. In law, there are just so many comparable areas that it seems only natural that lawyers would be competitive. This is fair enough, as I am not against a bit of healthy competition. I do think, however, there is a balance to be had.
In fact, Breen Sullivan asserted that the power of collaboration is greater than that of competition. With the pandemic keeping everyone at home, people have been particularly pushed toward digital platforms, which are more democratic and provide better opportunities for collaborations with others. With everyone dealing with an uncomfortable, unusual situation, competitors were more willing to work on things together. People and businesses joined forces to tackle a bigger market, or they supported up-and-coming ventures, recognizing their value and potential. Listen to the full extent of Breen’s thoughts here:
Artificial Intelligence
This idea is becoming more and more of a reality as we make leaps and bounds within the computer industry. These advances can be quite hard to follow, but, thankfully, Annmarie Giblin helped to break it down for me. In short, she said that AI will take over the boring parts of being a lawyer but cannot replace lawyers on the whole. In fact, it will even create new fields within the law that deal with technological liability, as well as expanding extant areas like compliance and cybersecurity. Annmarie explores the opportunities and threats of AI in this video:
Stepping Outside of Law
You will often hear me talking about things like law fusion or the interactions between law and other fields. Well, as it turns out, I am not the only one focused on these concepts. Nada Alnafaji is an advocate for integration, as well. In particular, she thinks tech and project management complement the law field quite well. Tech advancements open up the opportunity for digital contracts, which are not only sustainable but also a lot more flexible and practical; this is especially true when we consider remote working. As for project management, well, she has had some experience herself, which she said was invaluable in teaching her the lingo and inner workings of the business world. This enabled her to better facilitate contract negotiations (through practices such as data storytelling), as well as to be aware of the need for and potential of a bigger legal budget allotted to new technologies and their respective learning curves. She had a lot more to say about it here:
Olga V. Mack is the CEO of Parley Pro, a next-generation contract management company that has pioneered online negotiation technology. Olga embraces legal innovation and had dedicated her career to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive than before by embracing technology. Olga is also an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor, and entrepreneur. She founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to participate on corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. She authored Get on Board: Earning Your Ticket to a Corporate Board Seat and Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security. You can follow Olga on Twitter @olgavmack.