There’s a need to rethink law firm talent development says Dentons

There’s a need to rethink law firm talent development says Dentons

Getting lawyers and other professionals ready for the demands of the law firm of the future is the aim of a new global program at Dentons.

The firm has announced the launch of NextTalent which combines its innovation-focused NextLaw Labs with leading research on behavioural science, to bring out the best human potential in the digital era.

“The fourth industrial revolution is connecting digitization, neuroscience, and human behavioral insights,” said Joe Andrew, Global Chairman of Dentons. “NextTalent recognizes that to assist people to meet their professional aspirations it is more important to develop our talent than it is the tools our talent uses.”

The firm says there is a need to rethink how talent is developed within professional services and law firms with a focus on the capabilities required for the future while addressing the high levels of stress in the profession.

“By leveraging Dentons’ scale, we are able to accelerate our ability to develop talent in a tailored way in a profession which is increasingly characterized as both stressful and challenging,” said Jay Connolly, the firm’s global chief talent officer.

Here’s what’s driving transformation in law firms

Law firms globally are working on transformation but it may mean lawyers are left struggling with how to make it work.

That’s according to Elisabet Hardy, vice president of Financial & Practice Management at Thomson Reuters, who says that firms are under pressure to drive a high-quality client result predictably, consistently and transparently, all at a value that will win business.

“I visit law firms all the time and all are working through transformation — how they price, collaborate with clients, budget or manage work,” Hardy said. “But if you scratch a little bit below the surface, you realize that while firms are embarking on these transformations, lawyers are often struggling with how to become more effective, how to plan matters, how to budget against the work that they're competing for. At Thomson Reuters, innovation begins with a problem our customers are facing, and we knew we were uniquely positioned to help by providing a new vision for the way lawyers work.”

Thomson Reuters wants to help address these challenges with a new product called Panoramic, an intuitive cloud-based platform that uses regularly updated Matter Maps which include the phases and underlying tasks needed to execute a specific legal matter.

With a common language between front and back offices, this allows for positive results for client and firm, and enables more accurate budgeting and pricing.

Walmart helping to train next-gen lawyers?

The UK arm of the Walmart grocery chain is enabling its workers to train to become lawyers.

Asda has announced the extension of its employee apprentice scheme which will, for the first time, include a 6-year, level 7 solicitor apprenticeship.

The firm’s rival Marks & Spencer already offers a solicitor apprenticeship with future lawyers gaining experience working alongside the firm’s in-house legal team.