It takes more than legal acumen to land a job in a law firm or legal department. But having specific tech skills or proficiencies isn’t enough either.

By Rhys Dipshan, Corporate Counsel | August 25, 2020

Students graduating at the top of their law class are likely to find more doors open to them than most. But taking advantage of those opportunities may be easier said than done if they haven’t expanded their horizons. And no, it’s not just about working on interpersonal skills—though those certainly help. In today’s market, attorneys need to be holistic problem solvers capable of meeting a client’s needs beyond just giving them legal advice. And in many cases, that means knowing how and when to leverage technology.

“There are just certain aspects of tech use that if you can’t do them, it’s almost a nonstarter,” says Daniel Maland, partner at Mark Migdal & Hayden. But to be sure, law firms and legal departments aren’t just looking for candidates with exposure to particular platforms. What’s more important, many say, is whether a new hire has kept up with the latest innovations, understands their impact on the legal industry and is open to deploying and even designing new solutions when the situation calls for it.

But though it may not seem like it at first glance, these demands aren’t solely about technology. Instead, they’re about approaching the delivery of legal services in a new, efficient and process-orientated way. Technology, therefore, becomes a means to an end, instead of an end onto itself.

Whether those applying for positions in the legal industry understand this, however, can in part depend on what they were—or weren’t— taught in law schools. But while a growing number of schools prepare their students to meet the modern expectations of law firms and legal departments, some argue that too many others are continuing to miss the mark. Still, there’s little doubt that today’s newest attorneys have a leg up—after all, they’re the most tech-forward generation the industry has ever seen.

The New Mindset

Staying on top of technology isn’t just a best practice—it’s also an ethical obligation that can make or break a candidate’s chances. “The [ABA] model rule on tech competence is taken very seriously in our department… It is something we do consider with any candidate,” says Robert Taylor, Liberty Mutual’s vice president and senior corporate counsel.

But law firms and legal departments don’t take adherence to the model rule at face value—many want to specifically know their prospective lawyer’s attitude and openness toward technology. “We want to see or at least hear about experience with technology, whether it’s in a legal arena or not,” says Jeff Marple, director of innovation for the legal department at Liberty Mutual.

At the end of the day, he adds, it’s about knowing where and how innovation fits into their world.  After all, having certain certifications or skills doesn’t mean a person is going to be the right fit for a legal job. “It really doesn’t work that way. It’s more a mindset, and being open to using new tools,” he says.

Many, however, also want their attorneys to know how to use technology to present a case. “The ability to put together … a complete court presentation on PowerPoint [is] a tremendous asset and is something that we look for, especially with zoom hearings and the digitization of the courtroom process [during] the COVID-19 [pandemic],” Mark Migdal’s Maland says.

But even more fundamental than that, he adds, is the whether future litigators can dexterously handle large volumes of data. “There has to be extreme confidence in digital organization skills. Especially now with e-discovery being a mainstay in litigation, there is no question that comfort and competence in organizing and managing large amounts of data is essential.”

Still, Maland notes there’s “no expectation that a law student coming out of law school is going to have comprehensive understanding of how to handle e-discovery platforms.” He says that what firms are looking for is attorneys “who are open to quickly leveraging [those] platforms.”

This article was also featured in Legaltech News and The American Lawyer on August 31st, 2020.