Talent in a Digital Team

Technology Is the Enabler, Not the Solution

Much of the initial focus in legal digital transformation tends to be on tools. Whether it’s AI, document automation, or client self-service portals, these technologies hold real promise. But they are only as effective as the professionals who use them. For all the energy spent selecting and implementing new technologies, many transformations stall at the same point: the people using them.

This is not a reflection of lawyers’ reluctance to adopt change, or client’s unwillingness to use digital solutions. Rather, it’s a reminder that transformation is not a purely technological undertaking; it is a talent challenge. Without corresponding investment in people—training, support, role design, and leadership—technology alone cannot deliver meaningful or sustainable change.

Transformation is not simply about doing the same work faster. It’s about reimagining the legal function in a digital context—where lawyers operate within cross-functional teams, where clients expect faster, more proactive service, and where routine work is increasingly automated. That evolution hinges on whether the legal team has the mindset, skills, and leadership to adapt.

The Changing Shape of Legal Careers

In both law firms and in-house legal teams, the traditional model of professional development is showing limitations. The assumption that technical excellence matures into leadership through years of experience does not align with the pace or demands of digital working.

Junior lawyers are now expected to collaborate across departments, interpret data, and work with legal tech solutions far earlier in their careers. While the foundational legal skills remain essential, they are no longer sufficient. Skills once considered “soft”—communication, adaptability, project management—have become fundamental.

If law firms and legal departments want to retain high-potential talent and prepare them for modern legal practice, they need to actively build these capabilities. They cannot be left to chance or slow accumulation.

The Leadership Imperative

For senior lawyers, the challenge is no less complex. The leadership role now includes setting direction for multidisciplinary teams, many of which include technologists, operations professionals, and data experts. Legal leaders must guide legal strategy, as well as the technology and talent strategies that underpin client delivery.

Traditionally, a key element of a GC’s role was to translate the priorities of the business into a direction for the lawyers in their team. The GC ensures that the legal team communicates and advises in a way which reflects the risk appetite and growth priorities of the business. What risks matter, where to focus, and how to engage with colleagues to maximise the impact and value of the legal team. Those skills are honed over years of professional experience, supervising juniors, and managing increasingly larger teams. In a digital operating model, legal leaders now need to have those same skills in relation to digital technologies.

For example, if you are a legal leader today, you will be comfortable coaching a junior lawyer to ensure their emails focus on the most material issues and are appropriately succinct. But can you direct a software engineer to set the right parameters, such as temperature and Top P, to ensure your AI solution behaves in a way which is consistent with the way the legal team have been directed to communicate? These parameters provide mathematical frameworks for influencing the creativity, diversity and brevity of communications and are crucial for ensuring clients receive a consistent experience irrespective of whether it is a human or technology supporting them.

Humanising a Digital Profession

There’s a tendency to frame digital transformation as the story of technology. But in law—as in so many professions—it is a story of people. Lawyers remain the primary point of trust, judgment, and accountability. The tools can enhance delivery, but it is the professionals behind the tools who deliver confidence and clarity to clients.

This is why talent strategy matters so deeply in legal transformation. Supporting junior lawyers with a clear, aspirational development path; equipping mid-levels with leadership and project skills; and helping senior lawyers navigate the cultural and operational shifts of digital working—these are the building blocks of a transformation that succeeds.

If the legal profession is to evolve with integrity and purpose, the human dimension cannot be an afterthought. The future of law maybe digital but it is lawyers who will shape it.

If you are interested to any of these areas, please reach out to discuss how we can help.

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