The Real Reason Why Lawyers Are Slow to Adopt Legal Technology
A few weeks ago, a legal technology startup founder came by my office to get some feedback on a new product that he was building. I’m looking forward to when he releases it, but that’s not what this is about.
During our discussion, he asked me why lawyers don’t adopt legal technology.
“Because most of it sucks,” is all I could say. I might have even embellished it with an f-bomb.
I couldn’t think of a better way to put it, and he seemed a little surprised/amused and may have expected a more sophisticated answer.
So let’s break it down a little.
Wrong Assumptions = Bad Product
One of the persistent assumptions in the legal technology world is that lawyers are technology averse, or at least risk-averse and don’t want to try anything that would change their business model. I have already pointed out why this is mostly a baseless assumption and one that harms people who are trying to build technology products for lawyers.
Lawyers are very willing to adopt technology, as long as it can meet their needs…and do it well. Often, when I read an article or hear a comment from a startup founder about how “lawyers don’t have business skills” or “lawyers are resistant to change,”…
