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A futuristic approach, to learning in law firms? - Reda Bennani

- Reda Bennani Consultant
A futuristic approach, to learning in law firms?


I attended the International Legal Technology Association annual conference in Washington DC, (ILTA) last week. It was quite an experience, the number of vendors, new technology and buzz words debated during the event made it so SPECIAL.

There is no question that the law firm business model is in a state of rapid change.  Technology drives innovation, and the rise of new technical competencies.

There was a quasi-consensus, during the conference, that law firms need to re-configure their training methods to fit the new business needs and technology environment. I had the opportunity to attend many sessions focusing on the ability of law firms to use fully social media, intranets and soon-to-be-developed work flow automation tools.

The multitude of emerging technologies such as mobile usage, social media and touch and gesture technologies, represent a real challenge for law firms in managing change within different business drivers.

Emerging technologies have also changed culture and management philosophies within legal practices. Lawyers desire a more personalized learning experience, one that integrates other business components and takes advantage of the automation and standardization of processes.

The classroom is here to stay , at least for a couple of years,  demo-style learning is still mainly based on the classroom experience, but there will be a need to look at methods that would take advantage of  the full potential of new technology trends and use them the right way.

There is still a reluctance of law firms and corporate legal department to INNOVATE, but there is an enthusiastic and strong desire to leverage new technologies and make the learning experience an exciting journey within the modern law firm.

The next logical conversation will be to engage peers in pursuing the effective next-generation learning methods for law firms. Self-discovery and personalized teaching will shape the upcoming generation….yet; we need to ask the right questions and more Importantly ANSWER THEM!

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Next generation learning is a brave new frontier. One we need to explore, manage and use effectively. Once the guidelines of this whole new realm are built, there is a rational assumption that additional reward will be associated …..What are your thoughts on this? How can we transform the learning experience to take advantage of the new tools?
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