I understand how the different functions in marketing operate, know when to bring them in when required, and know how their different clients like to receive information. I also worked in practice marketing for three years, working with lawyers from four different practice groups, so I understand exactly how they work and the different demands from their clients. BrandTech: You are part of the innovation team. How does the group champion innovation and tech? Fran: Our team is excited and curious about technology. We see it as something that guides, speeds and supports us, and our clients. The tech doesn’t replace our people: it allows our people to spend more time on strategic and interesting tasks. We invest and champion the tech when we clearly see the benefits this brings to the end user. We work very closely with our technology experts in the firm to ensure we select technology and then work closely with our Practice Innovation and Efficiency (PIE) teams and innovation lawyers to design onboarding and training programmes that maximise adoption, thus ensuring we get the best return on investment. BrandTech: Getting partners’ buy-in to tech and innovation is a big challenge for any firm. Can you share any techniques or stories in which you (literally) saw the light bulb come on! Fran: Adjusting to a new way of working during Covid-19 has seen a huge increase in adoption of our global WebEx platform, with people using a headset for calls and video calls. Previously, some partners didn’t trust the platform and preferred to use their traditional desk phones. Through having to use it to continue working, they’ve built trust in the technology and seen the benefits it brings to their internal and client interactions. We have found that having adapted to working in lockdown, our lawyers are now totally open to trying new things – so we have taken that opportunity to share many of the tech tools we would look to bring into the firm in the coming months/future years, use
their time to help benchmark solutions against each other and run pilots. There is so much more engagement now and we should be harnessing that openness to trying new things. For all the grief lawyers get about being slow to adopt change, they have done that literally overnight and while still delivering excellent client service! BrandTech: Would you agree internal communications are fundamental to driving external perceptions and attitudes among clients and other stakeholders? Fran: Internal communications is a MUST! Your firm could have every piece of technology available on the market but if you don’t communicate to your people why they should use the technology and explain how it will save them time or allow them to wow their client, you will never see adoption. It’s also important to tailor internal communications to different audiences: how a trainee thinks about legal design is different to how a partner thinks about legal design. Success stories are key to impact. People need to hear evidence to believe in something, or feel empowered to share an idea. Failures and lessons learned are key in communications. The best solutions are those that are refined. Sharing challenges faced can help someone else when they approach something similar. BrandTech: Firms are embracing tech differently. What are your top three tips for success for firms starting the journey? Fran: Work with your end users to make sure you are building and using technology that works for them all. Give your people time to use technology to build their own experience. Only then will they feel the benefits it can bring. Finally, don’t get distracted when a new ‘shiny bauble’ piece of technology comes out as the solution to everything. Identify the problem you want to solve then find a tech solution to fulfil that need.
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