Why Lawyers Should Watch For Signals & Trends In A Changing World
Why The Future Of Lawyering Matters
Seth Godin’s wrote something in his recent book The Song Of Significance, that really struck a chord with me:
“Seeing things before others have to point them out.”
That line got to the core of what I’ve been trying to do for years now as a lawyer coach, law firm consultant and legal futurist.
Observing, spotting patterns. Connecting seemingly unrelated dots. Trying to apply these things to what lawyers are doing now and more importantly might need to do next into the future.
Can Anyone Predict The Future Of Law?
But let’s be honest and clear from the outset.
I’m not here to predict the future of law, lawyering or the legal profession.
Nor am I capable of doing so.
If you came for predictions, you can stop reading now and save yourself some time.
In reality, the truth is no one really knows what’s coming next when it comes to predicting the future.
There are signals however. They are worth looking for. There are also trends, emerging patterns and generalities for which we can try and make educated guesses from.
But life and law is just far too complex to map out with any real certainty.
The older I get, the more convinced I am, that trying to predicting future signals and trends - 5, 10 or 20 years from now is pretty much a futile effort.
Even when something big like the rise of AI happens, I think the time frame for realistically thinking about its future probably is at best, 1 to 3 years ahead.
Just look at recent history. Look at the pandemic. Look at the rise of Generative AI. Did anyone truly predict these to their true extent?
No one saw these coming, and their ripple effects continue to shape and reshape most aspects of life to this day.
The one true certainty I suppose, is we live in times of profound uncertainty and profound change.
All of the above however, does not mean we should not pay attention to the future based on an assumption we have no control over it.
On the other hand, it means we should probably pay more closer attention to it.
It should not stop us trying to see what signals, patterns and trends are emerging out there, nor adopting a more wider societal lens and way of thinking.
Observing Signals As A Lawyer
As Seth Godin said - “Seeing things before others have to point them out.”
I think we can observe what’s happening on the ground, be alert to early signals of potential change, recognise trends, make an educated guess about a range of possible scenarios, and we can use this to prepare ourselves to stay ahead, even if we don’t know exactly what’s coming next.
There is no single future of law.
There are multiple futures - for law and for each of us, with many different scenarios that could impact us individually or collectively.
We owe this to ourselves, our clients, our firms, the profession and our society to stay aware of what may be coming next.
This however requires a broader lens beyond our current day to day lawyering.
Paul Ippolito - Legal Futurist, Coach To Lawyers & Consultant To Law Firms
Multi-Disciplinary Thinking Matters For Lawyers
The future of law, lawyering and legal profession is tied to broader economic, technological, political, and cultural shifts.
Law does not exist in isolation.
What I am saying is that as lawyers, we should not silo our thinking.
Instead, we need to adopt a wider lens perspective (what I call multi-disciplinary thinking), understanding that multiple futures are unfolding simultaneously.
I’ve shifted my own focus from looking at the future of just one profession, like law, to what I now call ‘the future of everything.’
This broader perspective has led me more and more out into the world, being on the ground, observing, engaging with people from all walks of life, and trying to make sense of the new patterns we’re seeing.
It’s about identifying signals and trends that might shape our individual futures or even the world at large.
But here’s the reality, this is a puzzle we can’t fully complete.
The work of anyone engaged in futures thinking is filled with uncertainty and contradictions.
And that’s okay, because through this messy process, we gain insights that help us better understand our evolving and uncertain environment.
The key is to be proactive, to engage with the world, to anticipate, not just react.
If you want to stay ahead of the game, you need to step outside your comfort zone and contemplate the many futures it may bring.
Meet people face-to-face, immerse yourself in new environments, and expose yourself to different ideas.
Now more than ever, a multidisciplinary perspective is critical.
Think law, by all means. But also think from political, sociological, economic, anthropological, psychological, philosophical, historical, financial, environmental as well as cultural perspectives as well.
What Can Lawyers Do With Signals & Trends?
Curiosity and a greater awareness is a good starting point.
Get out of the office and hit the ground.
Look for signals, spot them earlier than the average person, contemplate their implications, imagine how that might impact the future, your future, of your clients and of your law practice and business.
The ability to take these things above, act on them proactively, test, experiment and adapt and repeat over and over, is a skill set of the future you cannot ignore.
In a constantly changing world, adaptability is your greatest asset.
Sitting still - the do nothing option - well, it no longer works. There is just too much change happening around us. More than it ever has.
Lawyers of today need to stay curious, flexible, and continuously engaged with the world around us to stay relevant in the future.
