Legal Innovation in Canada: Does It Need to Be Seen to Be Believed?

Here at the CBA Legal Futures Initiative, we’ve sought to demonstrate to the Canadian legal profession that great opportunities await those who embrace change; opportunities to put clients at the centre of our work, to better serve Canadians, to provide new kinds of services, to open up new models of legal service delivery, to work in conjunction with others, and most importantly, to creatively re-imagine what it means to “be a lawyer” in the future.

We launched our flagship report, Futures: Transforming the Delivery of Legal Services in Canada, in August of this year. Contained within the report are various Innovation-in-Action inserts, with frank interviews from lawyers across Canada about the advantages of innovation. We want you to see that change is happening – and that it’s a good thing. Despite this, when people read our report, we sometimes still hear: “How does this apply to my practice?”

We know innovation takes imagination. For many engrossed in the day-to-day demands of their working environment, it’s often hard to put your head up and see the horizon. That’s why we are so excited to introduce our online virtual innovators’ showcase this week – at www.dolawdifferently.com – where we feature interviews with seven amazing Canadian lawyers, each of whom seeks to disrupt the status quo with their innovative work.

To get inspired, come online, hear them tell their stories, and think about what it would take to innovate in your own working environment. Are you convinced?

Join Fred Headon and Karen Dyck, both members of the Legal Futures Initiative Steering Committee, in a #CBAFutureschat on Wednesday, November 19 from 12.30 to 1 p.m., to launch DoLawDifferently. What does it take to believe in change? Do you need to see it to believe it? We want to hear your reactions – and look forward to speaking with you then.