“What do you want to be when you grow up?” has become quite a tricky question for today’s children.
The world is rapidly shifting towards a digital economy. Many tasks get automated, therefore changing what it means to do a given job. Some positions become obsolete, while new technology-related roles and needs emerge.
We don’t know what will the future job market look like. Whether the work a kid dreams of doing will exist in 20 years or look as we know it today.
So, what do we do to safeguard the professional future of the youngest generations?
The best – if not the only – strategy to prepare for the largely unknown future is to develop curious and creative minds. With agile, adaptable and responsive to change attitudes.
Also, as much as master the tech skills, we must nurture what is uniquely human and irreplaceable.
The same approach, as applied to today’s kindergartners, shall guide the development of the
future-ready legal professionals.
Those beginning their journey in the legal industry, as well as the seasoned practitioners who want to remain up-to-date or become the leaders of tomorrow.
The future of law will be different than what we’re used to.
The delivery of the legal function – especially in the business of law, but also the practice of law – is already changing. This transformation in the making is driven by client/customer demands which bring on board technology and process optimisations. It also means enriching the field of law by the know-how of professionals traditionally seen as “non-lawyers”. These allied professionals became integral to successful legal delivery. At the same time, the role of lawyers is expanding beyond problem-solvers, towards business advisers.
The legal culture must evolve.
So, we created this space to learn and share. With our #FutureProofLegal series we aim to guide the legal industry professionals through the necessary upskilling. Hence, we present the most important skills for modern legal professionals. The list is based on academic and industry studies, the needs expressed by those hiring: clients and managers in firms/in-house; as well as experiences and predictions of thought-leaders and global think-tanks.
Our goal is also to demystify legal roles and jobs of the new generation. Those which do not necessarily involve being a lawyer in the first place. Delivered by people who infuse (much needed) new expertise, perspectives and diversity in law. We hope that this part of the series will prove especially useful to the younger colleagues at the beginning of their careers in the legal industry.
We believe that the future, although different, is bright. It is an exciting time to be a legal professional.
Join us on the journey to future-proofing your legal career.
Enjoy our articles and get in touch. We would love to hear your feedback, experience or simply say hello ?
For the full intro to the series click here.
The series covers the following skills & roles (click on the titles to open each post):
| Self-awareness | Legal Designer |
| Critical thinking | Legal Engineer |
| Growth mindset (perpetual learner/adaptability) | Legal Technologist |
| Negative capability | Legal AI Expert |
| Emotional intelligence and empathy | Data Analyst (Legal Data Scientist) |
| Effective communication | Legal Management Consultant |
| Collaboration (collaborative teamwork) | Client Success Manager |
| Cultural awareness | Technology Solution Manager |
| Customer service | Legal Process Improvement Specialist |
| Relationship building and networking | ODR Practitioner |
| Leadership and social influence | Legal Project Manager |
| Media literacy | Legal Risk Manager |
| Strategising | Legal Knowledge Manager (Engineer) |
| Project management | Legal Procurement |
| Visual and design thinking | R & D Worker |
| Data analytics | Legal Marketer |
| Technological competency | Legal Hybrid |
| Risk management | (Chief) Innovation Officer |
| Business know-how | |
| Holistic problem-solving | |
| Coaching |
If you have any suggestions for this list, do get in touch ?!