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18 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 8 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m In other words, today's lawyer needs to be a T-shaped lawyer. In the T-shape framework, the vertical stroke of the T represents the deep understanding of one or more specific areas of law or the disciplinary legal specialization. The defining characteristic, however, is the horizontal bar of the T, which repre- sents broader, generic attributes such as the ability to collaborate across a variety of different disciplines, problem solv- ing, leading teams, innovating, building relationships and strengthening organ- izations. The combination of the verti- cal qualities and the horizontal qualities forming the T will allow lawyers to thrive in the future workplace. The Communi-T lawyer Societal challenges faced by legal pro- fessionals are big and complex. As the workplace is changing, lawyers must give advice while considering complex issues and multiple viewpoints. No sin- gle actor or area of society has sufficient knowledge or resources to meet these challenges on their own. It is important to co-ordinate efforts between actors to create the best conditions for innovation. To do so, legal professionals must build awareness of the communities in which they will operate and evolve, they must innovate by bridging people's needs and getting involved and they must collaborate on implementing appropriate solutions and be account- able for them. They must be Commu- ni-T lawyers. Awareness At the heart of every community, law- yers are working to help and support clients, to facilitate business or provide valuable advice. In addition to fostering a culture of innovation by embracing the game changers, lawyers must identify and map out the legal challenges in the daily lives of the people they are serving. A team of lawyers should, therefore, be from diverse backgrounds, cultures and experiences, have a deep knowledge and understanding of challenges and cultur- al lenses, maintain strong relationships with key local and regional authorities and grasp their mentality to provide their clients with access to adaptive and innovative legal intelligence. For example, lawyers are trained to identify discrimination and advocate against it. However, with complementary skills such as statistical literacy, they will be able to recognize and quantify it, even @ChristianeSaad L E G A L I N N O VAT I O N N O W O P I N I O N The 'Communi-T' lawyer uch has been written about how lawyers need additional skills outside of their legal expertise to be successful in the 21 st -century workplace. But in addition to these skills, a truly competitive and innovative lawyer must also have a sound understanding of the needs and challenges of their community. Lawyers must be more than "T-shaped" lawyers and become "Communi-T" lawyers. The T-shaped lawyer Technological advancement and innovation are two of the most crucial trends driv- ing change in the legal sector. They are key for law firms intent on growing, staying relevant and remaining competitive in an evolving industry. Legal excellence is funda- mental, but today's lawyer needs to have a broader level of expertise and knowledge, an interest and facility in dealing with technology and other fundamentals such as business, project management, financial and digital literacy and government affairs, to name a few. They must understand and adapt to unique approaches, particularly because of competition, client demands and the current state of the legal industry. Lawyers need many skills to thrive in today's market, but they also need to be connected to their community By Christiane Saad M the workplace issue