Empathy should team with legal technology
At the end of the day, technology may be the greatest way legal teams and Legal Ops support can become more efficient and produce higher quality results. He remarked, “In the 90s, Allstate was looking for the elements to serve as the secret sauce to close cases faster at less expense. What we found was it’s really important when a case goes into suit. When a lawyer promptly reads the file and has a discussion about why that matter was in suit and what needed to be done whether that is settlement, arbitration, or trial. It needs to be documented, [then] come up with a plan, and then follow that plan. Technology could help drive that behavior in a consistent fashion.”
It’s not simply by watching your employees work on thinking about the economic advantages that generate the best plays. You also need to be able to think about your process holistically. What are you really trying to accomplish? What does the process depend upon? How can you take away redundancies and opportunities for error?
Grawe warned that “If you’re standing still, you’re falling behind.” But when you’re looking for the right solutions, empathy is key, as well as the technologies you’re considering, whether you’re putting yourself in the shoes of your employees, your business leaders, or thinking critically about the mission of your Legal Ops processes, department, and company.