Although IT holds the key to growth, many law firms are reluctant to change. Simon Thompson advises solicitors to take the simple approach

Charles Christian recently raised an important issue for the legal industry when he pointed to how law firms are willing to invest in IT initiatives, but common resistance to change from fee-earners is preventing the adoption of new technologies (see [2004] Gazette, 5 August, 9). This may be true, but is resistance to change an inherent cultural problem? Or does it stem from a lack of awareness around the benefits and opportunities new technology can create for firms?


A recent Economist Intelligence Unit/SAP report, highlighted the integral role investing in technology plays in growth. More than 80% of executives surveyed, including senior representatives from the legal profession, cite investment in technology as either 'critical' or 'very important' in what they perceive as the most important environmental factor to enable growth over the next year.

The EIU report points to tighter integration of business processes as the area where technology can have the greatest impact on growth. This is particularly relevant for law firms where leveraging in-house knowledge - and ease of access to this knowledge - is key. It also points to how technology can improve relationships with clients, and reduce administration and compliance costs. Overall, the introduction of firm-wide business systems should make the lives of legal professionals easier.


So why the resistance to change? The answer is simply that unless the technology is demonstrably easy to use and the benefits are obvious, many fee-earners would rather stick with what they know.


We are in a business that is fee focused, time and resource pressured; therefore, simplification is integral to progress. Having recently undergone a transformation of our business systems with SAP, I know how important it is to get the buy-in of employees from all levels of the firm from the outset. In our case, initial feedback indicated that confusing systems, time taken to learn new ways of working and lack of employee education on the benefits of technology result in employees simply wanting to maintain existing systems.


We were previously using relatively disparate systems that, while suitable for our business at one time, were neither cost effective nor time efficient anymore. Before any decisions could be made for change, there were several factors we considered: how could technology help us to deliver the best possible service to our customers? How can we achieve maximum efficiency? And finally, what are the best systems to have in place across a global infrastructure?


There are several key factors contributing to the successful integration of technology in firms. They include selecting the right integration partner, ensuring full commitment from the firm, planning in advance and ensuring that the actual implementation process is as smooth as possible with the least amount of disruption to employees. It is also important to set out clearly the benefits of the new technology to employees who will actually be using it each day.


We chose a phased implemen-tation to gauge employees' reactions and assess the benefits, starting with the firm's central financial operations and core client and human resources functions. To ensure the transition is as easy as possible, the solutions implemented must be accessible and integrate well with existing products.


With so many daily pressures, we cannot blame our partners and fee-earners if they are reluctant to adopt new technologies. It is up to law firms fully to agree the need for change and to make the process as simple as possible - it is only then that the benefits can be realised.



Simon Thompson is director of IS & strategy at City law firm Linklaters