Designer firms with purpose

Melissa Lyon believes change is what you make of it. As Associate Principal of innovative law firm, Hive Legal, Melissa is both passionate and pragmatic about the opportunities innovation offers to the profession.

“Whilst technology is definitely an enabler to change it is not necessarily driving change – innovative and creative thought drives change, and technology is often a tool to enable this process. Hive Legal exists because the founders were prepared to think innovatively and create a firm from a clean slate. Its business model is predicated on disruptive elements – value pricing, smart use of technology and truly flexible and contemporary work practices which enable all staff to work from the cloud wherever and whenever they are most effective.”

She is excited to be part of the change and disruption sweeping the profession.

“Disrupters who are thinking innovatively and have the courage to challenge engrained behavior and processes within the profession are bringing much needed change. It is a fast moving environment, and it is satisfying to be creative, find my purpose and share those experiences.”

In this evolving environment, Melissa sees real opportunities for firms and individuals who think creatively to develop a sense of purpose.

“I believe that this can only be done by demonstrating real empathy for those who are affected by what you do – clients, teams and networks. Empathy is more than listening; it is placing yourself in their experience.

“Innovation requires creative thought, and the commitment and energy to implement ideas. Frameworks like design thinking not only identify human-centred solutions but also the steps and momentum to implement those solutions quickly.”

Through this approach, Hive Legal developed HiveThink  - an innovative framework which combines the power of the firm’s purpose (to improve the experience for its clients and team) with design thinking.

“This framework assists us to identify, assess and implement innovative ideas. It also underpins our strategic business development programs. Working this way encourages the use of multi-disciplinary teams with skills other than legal skills.”

Innovation, she said, is a threat only to those in denial, who fail to clearly define their purpose, support good culture or develop strategies which align with the expectations of clients and lawyers.

As for the future, Melissa had several major predictions.

“We will become much more creative and empathetic, with increasing use of a human-centred approach to improve the experience for those receiving legal services (clients) and those delivering them (team and firms). We will also see a rise of ‘Designerfirms’, like Hive Legal – firms that have taken the time to define their purpose and have been designed or redesigned to achieve that purpose.”

Increasingly, she said, firms will act as consultancies to provide better solutions for clients – solutions which may involve both the delivery of legal and non-legal services by multi-disciplinary teams.

Finally, further development of technology will enable better capture of key data and workflow management to continuously create efficiencies within firms and for clients.

To make the most of the change to come, Melissa encourages lawyers to share and talk about their experiences, both positive and negative, regarding disruption and technology.

“We should provide opportunities to demystify what disruption means for those who see a tsunami of change and don’t know where to start,” said Melissa. “We should also aim to encourage and inspire those who want to be part of the inevitable change, or even disruptors themselves.”

For new lawyers entering the profession, Melissa encouraged them to embrace the change and create their own futures.

“Get ready for a different kind of legal profession, one that is more creative, tech-enabled and innovative, where a range of skills will be valued beyond merely legal skills. Don’t make assumptions in terms of your career options. Work out where you want to make your mark, and talk to a broad range of people in the profession including lawyers, BD and HR professionals, innovators and tech providers. Ask them about ‘why’ they do what they do, and their ‘experience’ of doing what they do.”

“The Centre for Legal Innovation provides an invaluable ‘share platform’ to bring together all the players, who are leading change in so many different ways – via technology, new ways of working, and new ways of thinking.”

Sharing this information, she said, is helping to take the fear out of disruption and inspire those eager for change. “The profession benefits from initiatives like CLI, which gives us access to great minds brave enough to make a difference and to organisations and firms who can shine a light on what we can expect from innovation. The future is bright”

Melissa is the 2017 Lawyers Weekly Business Development Professional of the Year. She is also a member of the development team and core faculty for CLI’s inaugural “Digital Legal Practice and Innovation Masterclass” which will be held in Sydney on February 23-24, 2018. The Masterclass is an in-depth dive into the transition taking place in the legal industry. It will focus on facilitated experience sharing sessions and practical tips to support the lawyers and senior legal professionals who attend to navigate and leverage these changes.