EP Dine is now a part of the ZRG family. Read the press release
To survive in today’s law landscape, future-proofing is integral: in sum, it means preparing your business for major market shifts. It’s more relevant than ever due to new technology disruptions like automation, hybrid working conflicts, and changing client demands.
Discover how to safely embrace legal tech, how to hire the right talent for today’s legal firm, how to upskill your current workforce, and why building a diverse, multigenerational legal team is still key to ongoing success.
One of the biggest changes to the legal market in recent years is how AI and document automation are shaping it. In this section, we’ll explore how these trends are affecting the industry and why they matter.
According to a report, allowing AI to represent clients in a court would be a step too far.¹ Indeed, ethical considerations are important to take into account when using AI in any capacity. Generative AI technology has a tendency to ‘hallucinate’ results, producing factual errors that could have grave consequences for a firm’s clients.
That hasn’t meant the end of AI in the legal industry, however, as it can have other uses. As the report also found, more and more professionals are becoming open to the idea that AI can help them automate repetitive tasks alongside document review, contract analysis, and legal research. Document automation, for example, can save valuable time. This means attorneys have more time to focus on liaising with clients, constructing cases, and finding resolutions.
To adopt this tech effectively, we suggest hiring tech-literate attorneys, legal ops, and those in support roles. Also, hire tech-savvy legal project managers (LPMs) who know how to integrate AI and technology into your workflows. LPMs can leverage generative AI technology themselves in various processes, such as assembling fee reports and visualizing transaction data points in due diligence reports for mergers and acquisitions, which includes cash flow.
Hiring is just one solution when it comes to adopting new law tech. Ongoing learning and upskilling of a firm’s current workforce is also essential to taking advantage of current tech trends, alongside changes to tech compliance and regulations. Only 20% of lawyers say that they are confident using AI enterprise tools, despite 60% of firms having adopted them.² This can be for various reasons, such as being skeptical of how useful the tech is to them, or just simply feeling intimidated by it. Being able to approach any concerns your team might have and looking for the right solutions is key.
Training partnerships and mentorship programs can be extremely effective in introducing lawyers to AI technology and its applications in the industry. Less formalized training, such as workshops and knowledge-sharing forums, can also help with ongoing learning and development.
Below are some ways to encourage such further training and mentorship:
With the future of law greatly influenced by transformations in the tech industry, it’s more important than ever to support Continuing Legal Education (CLE). Some examples of this could be:
Adopting new tech is just one dimension of future-proofing your legal team. Diversity of thought helps future-proof against one-track planning. One-track planning can look like only preparing for one potential future outcome, without considering the possibility of other, potentially less predictable outcomes.
Diverse teams can have a greater chance of picking up on new legal industry trends that other team members might not spot due to a greater personal interest, professional specialization, or cultural identity. For example, lawyers from a marginalized background might be quicker to spot potential bias latent in new technology.
Changing priorities and interests may mean that law firms have to increasingly negotiate attracting Gen Z legal talent while retaining Boomer and Gen X leaders. Younger lawyers may be looking for different benefits: 85% of Millennials and Gen Z desire mental health support, work-life balance and flexible schedules.³
That being said, according to the same report, 25% of Boomers look for flexible working arrangements, meaning that some lawyers from this cohort might be seeking similar perks. This means it’s still important to identify someone’s own individual priorities and interests, as not everyone conforms to stereotypes about their age demographic. Discover more diverse hiring practices to get started.
Succession planning is also an integral part of future-proofing your business. This could involve identifying, mentoring, or sponsoring promising associate lawyers, identifying key roles, and identifying the potential of new roles that could be important in the future.
As flexible and hybrid work arrangements become the standard in the legal industry, firms must decide whether to mandate a return to the office or continue offering remote work as a highly valued benefit. The case for maintaining hybrid work remains strong, especially when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent.
Hybrid work provides legal professionals with greater autonomy and flexibility—two factors closely tied to job satisfaction and retention. For lawyers with responsibilities outside of work, such as caring for young children, this flexibility can be a critical reason to stay with a firm.
Fostering autonomy means empowering associates to make decisions while still offering mentorship and support. Encouraging independence—alongside guidance—builds confidence and helps lawyers perform at their best.
With nearly 100% of lawyers reporting that their work gives them a sense of purpose,⁴ firms that celebrate professional achievements, offer intellectually stimulating work, and acknowledge contributions to the broader legal profession are more likely to retain engaged, loyal attorneys.
While hybrid work is a popular benefit for many lawyers looking to achieve a work-life balance, it can create challenges for their firms. Some of the biggest issues include:
To mitigate these challenges, consider implementing structured hybrid policies, such as requiring team members to be in the office on specific days, to balance flexibility with consistent in-person collaboration.
Without clear boundaries and support systems, hybrid work can lead to lawyer burnout. Lawyers may struggle with isolation, reduced career development opportunities, or feeling disconnected from the firm culture.
Firms can reduce this risk by proactively involving hybrid employees in firm life. This includes inviting them to participate in team meetings, mentorship sessions, training workshops, and social events, both in person and virtually. Leveraging video conferencing and collaboration tools ensures that remote team members remain engaged and connected.
The legal talent market is evolving, and to future-proof your business, you need to stay ahead of shifting candidate expectations. With top legal professionals increasingly prioritizing flexibility, remote work, and work-life balance, sourcing the right talent requires a strategic, proactive approach.
One of the most effective ways to attract qualified candidates is by partnering with a specialized legal recruiter. The right recruiter can help you:
Working with a legal recruiter involves fostering clear communication and building a long-term relationship of trust. To identify the right legal recruiter for you, consider:
By forming the right recruiter partnerships, you can build a more agile and competitive legal team—one aligned with today’s evolving workplace expectations.
To future-proof your legal team, establish clear KPIs and performance metrics tied to long-term goals such as talent retention, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and innovation readiness. In parallel, regularly evaluate your organizational structure and succession planning to ensure your team is prepared for leadership transitions.
KPIs also play a crucial role in helping your team stay agile in the face of shifting market and industry dynamics. By tracking trends across social, technological, and economic landscapes, you can ensure your legal strategy remains aligned and forward-thinking.
Future-proofing isn’t a one-time initiative—it requires ongoing measurement, reflection, and adjustment. Below are key metrics your firm can use to assess and strengthen long-term legal team performance:
By grounding your legal operations in measurable outcomes and routinely adapting to evolving challenges, your firm can build a high-performing, resilient legal team positioned for long-term success.
Future-proofing is not a one-time initiative but a mindset. Monitor market trends and legislative changes, mitigate risks from AI and cybersecurity, and create a succession planning strategy. While this might seem complex and time-consuming, a top legal recruiting team, E.P. Dine, can help you navigate these developments.
Want guidance on building your future-ready legal team? Contact E.P. Dine today.
Sources:
At E.P. Dine, we are committed to delivering content that is not only relevant and insightful but also rooted in professional integrity and expertise. To achieve this, every article published on the E.P. Dine blog undergoes a meticulous review process by qualified professionals with deep knowledge and experience in the legal field and legal recruitment.
.png)
.png)
