The over-hyping of technology leads to a natural reaction to discount its impact. That is a mistake. Broken promises notwithstanding, new technology continues to change law practice and business.
In the past, the challenge was just getting new technology to work. Today, the challenge is adopting new systems to improve business, practice management and client service. Adoption depends on culture, attitude, competition and management, not on the technology itself. Managers guiding their law firms’ futures should consider technology-enabled opportunities along three dimensions – communications, practice management and business management.
That is the thesis of an article I wrote for the College of Law Practice Mangaement Spring 2005 newsletter (PDF) and posted here.