Over the years, I have adopted an ‘agile’ mindset, while earning several industry agile certifications in the process. By agile, I am referring to adopting a set of attitudes supportive of a working environment that reflects respect, collaboration, improvement and learning cycles, pride in ownership, a focus on delivering value, and the ability to adapt to change.
I am making this commitment because bringing customer value to the legal industry means prioritizing business objectives, bringing to the market viable solutions while responding to digital disruption at a quicker pace.
My role at Konica Minolta is focused on maintaining forward thinking, applying agile methodologies and ensuring that our robust legal portfolio is in line with the industry transformation. Konica Minolta will continue to bring award winning innovative solutions while preparing our customers for the Workplace of the Future™ . And, I can stay in lockstep with the corporate vision. But, how is the legal industry keeping an agile mindset? Some law firms are adapting an agile culture due to rapid technological advances, globalization, and generational transformation. In turn, they are seeking solutions that include mobility, collaboration, analytics and automation.
However, many laws firms have yet to embrace agility, make the investment into their infrastructure, establish key partnerships and workflow processes to add more value for their clients. Strategic marketing endeavors will continue to be a must, hiring a new wave of innovative attorneys and/or partnering with industry leaders will be needed to usher in new ways of doing business. There are many current trends that will necessitate new ways of thinking, and asking this simple, key question will be a good place to start, “How can I get this done better, quicker and bring value to our clients?” As such, these are some of the trends that the legal industry is embracing:
Robotics Process Automation (RPA) – Why is RPA becoming a necessary tool for the legal professional and why law firms must embrace robotics & technological changes?
RPA is a software which mimics and replaces computer-facing work that can be done by humans; analogous to a digital workforce. The benefits include cost savings, quick and easy deployment, 24/7 delivery, speedy processing, reduction in human error, scalable and quicker access to information. Konica Minolta has developed its own solutions such as Dispatcher Phoenix which is Konica Minolta’s advanced workflow solution that was a finalist for The 2017 World Technology Awards in the IT Software category.
Workplace of the Future™ Solutions – New products and services will find their way into law firms that will help them run more smoothly. These include innovative facility “facilitators” such as virtual assistants who will greet clients and reduce the administrative work that typically slows staff productivity. Examples of this technology include Konica Minolta’s ALICE Receptionist, which employs touch screen and live video technology to connect visitors directly with employees; TEEM Meeting Room Management, a cloud-based meeting room booking system and analytics solution that helps companies collaborate more effectively to create workplaces where people, places and technology work together seamlessly and, Konica Minolta’s Double , which provides a real, physical presence in the office via a two-wheeled balancing robot with an attached iPad®.
New “Partners” — Law firms are adding IT partners as a value-add to their legal environment. They simply do not have the expertise to successfully implement IT solutions on their own. As such, hiring IT-related “partners”– like All Covered, IT Services from Konica Minolta which can create a cybersecurity strategy, penetration testing and vulnerability assessments to identify shortfalls, liabilities and other areas for improvement, and an implementation plan that is imperative in today’s climate. In addition, assisting with helping law firms with choosing the right document management solution which is critical as law firms migrate to the cloud. With over 800 engineers in more than 35 locations nationwide, All Covered helps companies through a full range of IT services and technology support.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and Analytics – As we can see, artificial intelligence has been the greatest game-changer of them all. In particular, as it relates to legal document management solutions incorporating artificial intelligence. Today, legal cases consist of documents stored across a broad range of locations, including document management systems, email platforms, instant messaging, mobile technologies, social media platforms, servers, cloud, etc. Legal professionals need solutions that offer forensic data collection, computer forensic analysis, data processing, hosting, data analytics and production.
With AI already all around us in our personal and professional lives – from virtual assistants like Siri, to the deep learning features of the Internet that use data much faster than humans can — AI will continue to transform how legal services are delivered with an increase of tools for technology-assisted review, analytics and early case assessment.
It’s exciting to witness the new innovations that are occurring once again in the legal industry.Change is indeed the only constant in life and Konica Minolta is ready to help you embrace the law firm of the future and staying agile.
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