Software solutions - training lawyers to use IT systems

We looked at training last time; however there is one aspect of this topic that is frequently given only cursory consideration - possibly because it can raise thorny issues of partnership politics - and that is how are you going to approach fee-earner training in general, and the training of partners in particular?

Along with the inevitable resistance some people will always have towards change - and sadly many partners still take the view that keyboards are strictly for their secretaries - the pressures of work and the billable hours targets many solicitors now face mean that you will probably have to make special arrangements for their IT training, including out-of-hours and lunchtime courses.

For more senior lawyers, it may even be necessary to organise more select or even one-to-one training sessions.

An additional problem is that whereas with clerical staff it is always possible to use an element of compulsion, along the lines of telling them that they 'must' attend a specific training course, with fee-earners this is not a viable option.

Leaving aside the fact that lawyers seldom take kindly to being told what to do, client demands mean it may simply not be possible for them to attend.

Profiles do vary from firm to firm - and you cannot automatically assume that the older the lawyer, the more conservative and less pro-IT they become.

Nevertheless, when it comes to technology you will usually find that fee-earners and partners fall into one of two camps.

They either have a 'BC' (before-computers) mindset, which means they cannot grasp the benefits of changing the way they work by using technology, or they have an 'AC' (after-computers) mindset and want to embrace technology because they recognise the advantages it can bring.

One-to-one training courses and educational seminars may help win over the BCs in your firm, but probably the best way to convert them is to lead by example.

Typically, this involves picking individual departments or even a few keen fee-earners to 'champion' the new systems, particularly case management and fee-earner support applications that have a direct impact upon day-to-day office life.

Once they can demonstrate real benefits, such as increasing billable time or just getting through their workloads quicker and out of the office earlier on an evening, then other members of the firm are going to be a lot more enthusiastic about following suit.

Next time: What lawyers really need to know about technology.

Charles Christian is an independent adviser to the Law Society's software solutions guide.