Leaders often view their information technology departments in the abstract. For too many of them, those departments are just a cost-of-doing-business function that they don’t have to think about as long as everything operates as it’s supposed to. It’s all rather impersonal.
But it shouldn’t be.
Many industries are being disrupted by IT. One such industry is tax preparation and filing. In less than three decades, the industry evolved from paper tax filings to today’s reality where over 94% of the tax preparation and filings are done via electronic software. The legal industry is poised for such disruption and every law firm will have to make a serious decision. What type of Chief Information Officer (CIO) do they want to bet on? The one who helps them to survive — or the one who can help them thrive?
Let’s take a look at factors to consider to help you land the “right” CIO for your law firm.
The firm’s managing partners and the CIO need to understand one another and have a shared vision for how the relationship should go. Additionally, the CIO needs to understand and support the goals that motivate those at the head of the firm. Meanwhile, those in the firm’s leadership positions need to be realistic about what IT can and cannot deliver for the law firm.
CIOs are typically responsible for two broad buckets of things. In one bucket sits the computing systems and software they are expected to maintain. The other bucket contains the capital projects to add new systems or make significant changes to existing systems they are expected to execute.
“The firm’s managing partners and the CIO need to understand one another and have a shared vision for how the relationship should go.”
One of the key disruptions in the tax preparation industry was TurboTax. It was developed as a product and not just as a capital project. The difference may seem subtle, but the disruptive effect is very dramatic between a project versus a product mindset. For a CIO to develop a product mindset means they have to have the courage to dream of a product like the iPhone even when the customers did not even offer the specifications.
Any disruption requires significant change. One common trait between customers, employees and suppliers is they all are resistant to change — especially so within legal. Instituting change among a large and diverse group of people often lies with the CIO.
While CIOs are often not trained to understand behavioral psychology, it’s important to find a CIO who has the ability to champion necessary changes so the firm can stay tech-savvy and competitive. It’s an acquired skill but often the most important.
The ideal IT leader really does need to be a Renaissance person — someone who can understand the legal world and the IT world well enough to connect them and make them function together smoothly. Unfortunately, as we know, ideal candidates aren’t always available. The next best bet is to go with someone who is technically strong and shows promise for growing into the other aspects of the position. Then provide that person the guidance they need to bring them up to speed in terms of additional knowledge they need specific to law firms.
The perfect candidate may not exist, but with the right filters, you can bring in someone who will deliver for your law firm while maintaining a pleasant and effective working relationship with you and other people throughout the organization.
