Understanding the legal transformation journey with Mick Sheehy (ep 31)

Change in any organisation doesn’t happen overnight. We don’t just flick a switch and suddenly arrive at the end point. Instead, transformation is a journey that needs to be approached strategically and with a plan that unfolds over time.   Mick Sheehy is a recognised international leader in the field of legal innovation and transformation, having won numerous awards and with his work the subject of a case study for Harvard Law School. He is a Partner at PwC, where he has built their Australian NewLaw practice, focused on providing strategic consulting, technology and outsourcing solutions to legal departments.  Mick founded and chaired the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium Australia (CLOC), an industry body established to share best practice legal operations and innovation knowledge.  Mick starts our conversation by explaining that people need to understand they’re on a progressive journey. They don’t just arrive at the end point, but need to start with an awareness, develop a strategy and then put a plan in place to help them get there. An essential part of this journey involves a shift from a reactive to a proactive mindset.  Mick and I also talk about commoditised legal work and change management, and Mick shares some views about data – what should we be measuring and why does it matter? And, yes – time is one of the measurements we talk about!  Here’s a summary:  What does PwC NewLaw do? The 3 stages of the transformation journey The shift from a reactive mindset to a proactive mindset Understanding commoditised work The future role of junior lawyers Approach to process improvement Importance of involving people in the design of change We already have an incredible amount of data in our businesses, we just don’t know how to use it properly What are the measurements that matter? Should we be recording time? An opportunity to contribute to the definition of “legal work”  Links  * Find out more about PWC NewLaw * Subscribe to Doing Law Differently on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify   * Download my new ebook – 80 tips to help your law firm survive and thrive* Connect with me on LinkedIn  * Are you keen to share how you’re Doing Law Differently? Get in touch here.