When people think of the qualities they want in a lawyer, disruptive doesn’t always come to mind. In fact, it rarely does.
This strikes me as ironic, because disruptiveness is one of the most important qualities in growth stage and entrepreneurial companies wanting to revolutionize their market segment and change the world.
So why don’t clients insist that their lawyers — in addition to being outstanding technical lawyers — be disruptive? After all, doesn't it make sense that the most innovative and forward-thinking lawyers would relate best to the most progressive companies and clients?
Sadly, I think the reason people don’t generally seek these qualities in their lawyers is because they don’t know they exist. And why is that? Because lawyers and the legal community have set the bar so low when it comes to innovation, creativity and client-centric business practices — choosing to require clients to conform to the traditional attorney-client model, rather than the attorneys focusing on what the clients want and need.
In my opinion, clients should insist on more and lawyers should deliver more.
So, I ask — is your lawyer disruptive, and if not, why not? The answer, of course, depends on what it means to be disruptive as a lawyer and how that disruptiveness can benefit you and your company as a client and consumer of legal services.
When I speak of disruption in the legal world, I don’t mean reckless, hasty, rude or destructive. Those are traits I wouldn’t want in a lawyer or any other adviser. Rather, what I mean is not just the ability, but the desire and the goal, to think outside the box and provide creative client-driven solutions to your business and legal challenges — not canned or pre-scripted “one-size-fits-all” responses from a dusty legal treatise.
With that definition in mind, you may say, “thank you, but no, I don’t want my lawyers to be disruptive. I want them to provide the same buttoned-down black letter responses that their forefathers provided to my predecessors and leave the creativity to me.”
If so, then this article probably hasn't resonated with you. If, however, you like the idea of a creative, disruptive thinking lawyer and law firm, find one. They’re out there.
For more information, follow the source link below.
