Charles Christian: remain open and flexible about change Before we move on from looking at some of the 'inspirational' themes that should be considered when planning a new legal IT project (or seeking to understand why an existing project failed), here is one further maxim to contemplate: 'Do not seek the truth - only cease to cherish opinions'. It is an old zen saying that, like much of zen, sounds completely irrational until you start to think about it a little more deeply.


For example, how many times have you encountered a situation where a particular fee-earner or department has adopted the attitude that 'this is the way we have always handled this type of legal work'? Before long this becomes 'this is the only way to handle this type of legal work,' carrying with it the implication that 'all other ways of handling this type of legal work are wrong'. If you have ever been involved with a merger and subsequently tried to get two different conveyancing departments to agree on a standard set of procedures and document precedents, you will be familiar with this attitude.



From the management perspective, this attitude frequently lies behind the failure of IT initiatives because the inherent inflexibility of this mindset means the fee-earners in question are not prepared to change their traditional ways of working to accommodate the introduction of technology. But, as we have stressed before in this column - if you persist in working the way you always have done, why bother installing computerisation in the first place? You are never going to be able to take full advantage of the benefits IT can offer.



This inflexible mindset also explains why many firms still ignore technologies such as case management software. If you adopt the view that billing can only ever be based on time, then case management does look to offer a poor return: if computers mean fee- earners can now complete a matter in half the time it used to take, they can also only bill half the fees they used to charge. On the other hand, if you switch to fixed fees or value-based billing, then case management opens the way to both increased turnover and substantial improvements in profit margins.



All of which brings us back to our zen starting point. Rather than waste time looking for the perfect way to process legal work, it is more important that you are not constrained by hidebound opinions, but instead remain sufficiently open and flexible so you can change your procedures to accommodate different circumstances.



Next time: the need for IT skills as you approach retirement.



Charles Christian is an independent adviser to the Law Society's Software Solutions Guide