Legito Legal Disruptors 2020: Mark A. Cohen, Challenges & Opportunities for Lawyers in Times of Covid
Mark A. Cohen, CEO of Legal Mosaic and Executive Chairman of the Digital Legal Exchange, touched on a wide range of issues as he spoke with the audience about the opportunity to be found in any challenge, especially in today’s climate. Touching upon themes relating to the concerning trends of the mental health of legal professionals and the future of courts, Mark also dug into why it is important to consider the “how” of implementing legal tech when providing improved and cheaper legal services.
Mark opened his presentation with a bit of optimism. Gleaning on eons old eastern wisdom, he reminded us that even in these challenging times, there are opportunities to be found. Opportunity to improve on old models that perhaps were already beginning to fail the legal world.
Echoing themes heard throughout the conference, Mark emphasizes that providers of legal services need to look beyond the “client” paradigm and look upon how best we can serve our “customers”. This includes developing new, engaging ways to deliver services effectively.
This form of engagement, pressed upon the industry by the Covid-19 pandemic, is shining light into the shadows of the legal world, encouraging professionals to no longer ‘shroud their services in dark robes and mystery’. The pandemic, like previous crises (most recently the financial crises of not too long ago), is serving as an accelerator, forcing change and innovation.
Legal educators, as well as employers, learned quite quickly in the early days of the pandemic that remote models could succeed. And additional aspects of the law, including the courts, have begun to embrace the distance connectivity that technology allows. New models are being developed to cope with current conditions, and they are not temporary…. the convenience of these changes will shape how legal services are provided…. indeed, perhaps even how the legal world operates overall.
These changes have been a long time coming, increasingly with new business models for legal services that include more than only law firms or in-house legal teams. Legal services providers are coming in all shapes and sizes, bringing data driven business models, and leveraging true digital offerings in order to better serve and communicate with their customers.
Mark closes with a warning that a legal professional’s highly touted asset of risk awareness (or averseness) needs to be reviewed and applied in the context of the business landscapes which are being served. This understanding can be buoyed by constant learning. Staying abreast of current trends in law, in business, and in technology will keep one relevant and allow lawyers to better serving their customers.
All LLD 2020 Presentations
