Many lawyers are daunted by the prospect of data, process, and technology.  Yet, retooling might not be that hard.

Below is a list of knowledge, skills, and technologies learned this summer by three of my 1L Indiana Law students. The catalyst was a 3½-week program at the University of Colorado Law School in May combined with 10-week paid internships (still in-progress) at legal employers who value JDs with legal ops skills.

Legal Operations Knowledge and Skills Experience with Specific Software Technologies
1. Process mapping Visio PRO
2. Document automation Contract Express
3. Expert systems Neota Logic
4. Data visualization and construction of metrics dashboards Dundas BI
5. Database structuring and query writing MS Access
6. Artificial Intelligence (AI) — various types and use cases
7. Open source versus proprietary software codebases
8. Speaking parts on calls with firm clients

This is a lot of learning for a 1L summer program. In fact, this is just a lot of learning.   Because rising 1Ls typically lack useful knowledge and experience, they are at high risk of being underemployed.  Yet, therein lies the opportunity: With the right learning structure, these students can learn relatively rare and valuable skills very quickly.

Imagine the transformation of the legal industry if 20% of practicing lawyers acquired these same skills over a similarly short period of time.  The primary obstacles to this outcome may be psychological rather than a shortage of time, money, or ability.

The credit for this quantum leap goes to the Tech Lawyer Accelerator (TLA) at CU Law.  Originally organized by Bill Mooz as part of a practitioner-in-residence initiative funded by AccessLex Institute, the TLA is now in its fourth year.  Because I played a role in its formation, a small number of Indiana Law students get to participate each year. Sometimes the dividends of our work far exceed our contributions and expectations.  That certainly happened here.

Bill Mooz and I are currently working on plans to scale the TLA for the benefit of other law schools and legal employers.  Stay tuned for that.

Here’s a shout-out to my wonderful students at Indiana Law and their first-rate summer employers:   Ingrid Barce and Austin Brady at SeyfarthLean (part of Seyfarth Shaw); and Tony Schuering at Chapman & Cutler. Keep up the good work!

[Editor’s note:  Later in 2017, the TLA became the basis for the Institute for the Future of Law Practice (IFLP, “I-flip”).

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