Day two: done and dusted. We ended the week with another informative and enriching experience thanks to our stellar line up of speakers.

Here are four sessions that are indicative of the calibre of what was on offer for the legal community today.

 

Penny Locaso, Chief Executive Officer, HackingHappy.co

Theme: The New Intelligence for The Human Age

Premise: Time out to rethink the future of humanity and the role we have in shaping it. Welcome to the human age! A place where those who put humans first and prioritise the mental health of their employees will reap the rewards long term.

Keynote Key Takeaways:

It's time to cultivate a new intelligence; an intelligence that enables humans to cease reacting and start intentionally adapting.

The word ‘busy’ no longer means anything. It’s a code word for something else.

Darwin was right; adaptability is how we survive, but we’re seeking more than mere existence now so the way we look at adaptability has to change.

We need to bring intention and meaning to the forefront. It is a practice – not an end goal.

Quote of the session:

“Productivity is our disease and it’s backed us into a corner.”

 

Michelle DeStefano, Professor of Law, University of Miami and Guest Faculty, Harvard Law School, and Founder, LawWithoutWalls

Theme: Legal Leaders - Opportunities for Differentiation in a Digital World

Premise: In today's new legal marketplace, lawyers are being called on to change not only what they do but how they do it. Increasingly, they are being asked to lead change and innovation efforts in a digital world. Leveraging hundreds of interviews with inhouse and law firm lawyers from around the world, Michele explored the new expectations of lawyers and the opportunities for differentiation in the law marketplace. She reviewed best practices for inspiring change, managing innovation, and driving digital transformation within the organisations in which they work.

Key Takeaways:

Digital transformation is all about: customers, competition, data, innovation and value creation.

The companies commonly referred to as ‘alternative legal service providers’ have global estimated incomes of up to $12-15 billion.

Fundamental legal expertise isn’t enough. Learning new skills and offering new services are essential.

Sometimes the qualities that make great lawyers get in the way of what it takes to be an innovator and claim that client leadership edge.

Start small. First things first.

Quote of the session:

“Digital transformation is about looking at competition differently and considering who might be your competitors differently. Think about it. Phillips used to be an electronics company and now it’s a healthcare company. Tesla used to be just a car company but now it’s getting into mining because it needs to focus on batteries.”

 

Sharon Draper, Psychologist, The Conscious Project

Theme: Don't lose the human in your workplace

Premise: The legal community prides itself on hard work and helping clients but what about themselves? This workforce is a dynamic integration of human characters living in an isolating and competitive workplace culture. Each individual is encouraged to thrive yet when we take a closer look, we see people struggling to survive. What do we need to keep legal workplaces mentally healthy? How can individuals build resilience and influence the development of a mentally healthy system? What are your emotions trying to tell you during this changing workplace and world?

Key Takeaways:

In order to feel safe, our nervous system needs context, choice and connection. The goal is to feel relaxed but alert.

Try to identify specific emotions to be more informed about what you need to do to overcome it.

Get to know what your triggers are - the more you do the more you will be able to cope with stresses.

Quote of the session:

“Emotions are data, informing us what is meaningful for us. If we listen to what they are saying we can live a life that is congruent with our values.”

 

There was also an eye-opening live discussion between two key leaders in the legal community.

Michael Khoury, Partner - National Leader, Forensic Technology & Analytics, KPMG

Stuart Hall - Stuart Hall, Senior Manager of APAC Service Delivery – Relativity

 

Enjoy your weekend and be sure to sign in on Monday morning at 10am ahead of two more days of impactful insights at the Legal Innovation & Tech Fest - DIGITAL.