Becoming the Storm

An Introduction to the Disruptive Mindset

What does it mean to have a disruptive mindset?

If you ask this question to leaders in the tech, big data, and finance sectors, you’ll likely hear concrete example after concrete example of how out-of-the-box thinking and technological innovation can be leveraged not only to transform entire industries but to reshape the very fabric of the human experience. 

You’ll hear about the Googles, Facebooks, and Amazons of the world. You’ll hear about the iPhone. You’ll hear about IoT, EVs, and streaming services. But most importantly, you’ll hear about the unrelenting drive and ambition of innovators who, despite experiencing no shortage of success in their respective fields, refused to be comfortable until decades of conventional wisdom had finally buckled under the weight of their creative visions.

 
 

“Having the audacity to challenge tradition for the sake of moving society forward.”

In essence, this is what the disruptive mindset is all about: Having the audacity to challenge tradition for the sake of moving society forward. And while this thinking has spread like wildfire across virtually all other industries, making the shift from tradition to disruption doesn’t appear to even be on the radar of the modern law firm. 

So, what is it exactly that’s holding the legal industry back?

For one thing, the “serious” nature of legal work, at least on the surface, might have lawyers convinced that posing any significant challenge to the status quo is simply too much of a risk. And in turn, this could be interpreted as a convenient excuse for law firms not to step out of their comfort zone. But now for a much-needed dose of reality:

The seriousness of the work we do is one of the core reasons we should be actively working to adapt alongside the evolving needs of our clients. And if we fail to become disruptors ourselves, we’ll end up fighting a never-ending uphill battle against corporations that continue to embrace and leverage disruption to their advantage.


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Recent Changes in Arizona Law

Laws have already changed and corporations are coming to work hand in hand with law firms in the near future. Arizona has already passed laws that allow corporations to profit from legal fees. This means your law firm might not exist and you better be ready.

 

“We can embrace the disruptive mindset and work toward creating a storm all our own.”

 

Some will tell you that a storm is coming, and that law firms today are on the verge of being faced with that pivotal “sink or swim” moment, in which we adapt to the changes being made for us or risk dying off. But personally, I’d like to propose a third option: Rather than assuming a defensive posture in the anticipation of a storm, and attempting to preserve whatever we can of our traditional legal mindset in the process, we can embrace the disruptive mindset and work toward creating a storm all our own. In other words, it isn’t about submitting to the inevitable tides of change, it’s about owning and determining the direction of those tides for ourselves. 

Some will tell you that a storm is coming, and that law firms today are on the verge of being faced with that pivotal “sink or swim” moment, in which we adapt to the changes being made for us or risk dying off. But personally, I’d like to propose a third option: Rather than assuming a defensive posture in the anticipation of a storm, and attempting to preserve whatever we can of our traditional legal mindset in the process, we can embrace the disruptive mindset and work toward creating a storm all our own. In other words, it isn’t about submitting to the inevitable tides of change, it’s about owning and determining the direction of those tides for ourselves. 

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Disruption in Action: How the “Arizona Experiment” is Stoking the Flames of Transformation in the Legal Industry