America’s startup culture has proven that there is a different and often better way to run a business. Although these lessons have begun to permeate outside Silicon Valley, the legal field has remained tone deaf. That’s unfortunate, because startups can serve as a model for innovative, efficient and invigorating work environments. Today’s law firms, which generally lack these qualities, more closely resemble the bureaucratic corporations controlling the markets that startups seek to disrupt.
The failure of lawyers to embrace innovation is not surprising, given that we are taught to be creatures of precedent and, as a breed, are generally risk averse. Although these traits can be put to good use in our role as counsel, they can also lead to an irrational fear of change and, with that, stagnation. Startups, on the other hand, excel at breaking new ground — creating previously unrealized value for their clients, customers and users, while trying out innovative new revenue models. As a result, they also tend to do a better job of aligning their interests with those same clients, customers and users.
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