Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m M A Y 2 0 1 5 29 revolve around us versus our customers? Is efficiency the enemy of our model or the friend? What behaviours do our billing mechanisms drive internally and externally? Are we investing properly for the medium-to-long term? Changes to the regulatory framework may be a catalyst for change, but they're certainly not a prerequisite for it. At Riverview Law, we picked up numerous awards and were dubbed "the most innovative law firm in the world" by more than one market commentator long before we secured our ABS licence. Our DNA and non-partnership model (see diagram) are wholly inten- tional, carefully constructed, and highly protected, but what we're doing isn't rocket science — although given some of our recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, we may not be able to say that for much longer! In Canada, pioneers like Conduit, Cognition, and Axess are already demonstrating the art of the possible for law firms operating within the current regulatory constraints. South of the bor- der, others are doing the same. Even Big Law are getting in on the action, as this recent quote from the chairman of a large successful firm shows: "We've given ourselves five years to reinvent the firm by changing our business model — no more tweaking and pretending. There'll be pain. And that's a good thing." In the immortal words of Coldplay, "nobody said it was easy!" In fact, if Harvard's profes- sor Clayton Christensen is right, his research on disruptive innovation suggests that it's almost impossible to turn the proverbial oil tanker with its embedded resources, processes, and priori- ties, and sometimes easier to let down a lifeboat and start afresh with an alternative entity that's free from the legacy constraints of the mother ship. Certainly that's the route an increasing number of traditional U.K. firms seem to be going, such as BLP's Lawyers on Demand, Ever- sheds' Agile, and Pinsent Masons' Vario. One thing is clear, though. Our industry will see unparalleled change in the next decade or so, and there are incredible opportunities for those who choose to embrace it rather than bury their heads in the sands of the profession. As John F. Kennedy once remarked, "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." The only thing harder than fi nding the right legal document is losing it and trying to quickly fi nd it again. With WestlawNext Canada, the information you fi nd remains found – and organized. Effortlessly drag and drop key cases and documents into folders. Easily highlight and annotate documents as you go. Discover more at westlawnextcanada.com 00227MO-A48602 HELPING YOU TO BE MORE EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE AND CONFIDENT.

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