The book covers common tasks for most areas of general legal practice - property, family, wills and estates, litigation and commercial. There is also a section for in-house lawyers. “Lawyers know there is tech that can help them, but they are flat out keeping up with client work. It’s tempting to put off technology projects, and it can be hard to assess new tech tools and decide which ones are worthwhile, particularly for lawyers who tend to be risk-averse and detail-oriented” says Fiona McLay.
Dr George Beaton, Executive Chairman of Beaton, who has been advising the legal industry for over 30 years, says Fiona’s book “demonstrates how deeply she understands where business, technology and the law meet. Her book is well-structured, easy to read and useful as a reference source”.
“There is underused potential in existing tools that can help you work more effectively, but it is up to you. You can’t unlock this potential by delegating it to someone else, whether that is an innovation committee or the office manager - you need to invest some time to get the benefits. I understand the challenges, but as a consultant, I see what a big difference the right tech makes - how it helps lawyers get back to enjoying their work,” says Fiona McLay.
Terri Mottershead, Executive Director at the Centre for Legal Innovation says the book is “written from first-hand experience, super practical, and page by page convinces the reader to abandon their technophobia and instead, with an appropriate degree of caution, embrace tech for what it is, a fabulous legal business tool and innovation enabler.”
Fiona McLay spends her days helping lawyers use technology to improve how they work, so she has an insider’s view of how Australian lawyers are using, or not using, technology. Fiona has been a dispute resolution lawyer for top-tier, mid-tier, small, NewLaw firms, and in-house for 25 years. She now consults with law firms to improve the way they use technology and is a teaching fellow at the College of Law presenting a Fundamental Technology course as part of the Masters of Legal Business.
The book can be purchased from www.fionamclay.com.au. It is available in both print and digital formats (from major online bookstores). The book will be launched in in-person events in March in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in conjunction with the Centre for Legal Innovation and the College of Law. Details and registration are available with these links Sydney; Brisbane and Melbourne.
