Legal tech can be a tough business, at least in part because of the powerful nature of our law firm client base. Tech providers are focused not only on solving problems, but trying to convince firms to adopt those solutions, often in the face of considerable resistance. Law firm IT staff rely on skill and patience to do their jobs well. In turn, their technology providers must be creative and precise in building tools to support them and the rest of the firm’s staff. For those of us in the legal tech world, the challenges involved in solving law firms’ problems is what makes success so rewarding.

Early in my career, I was a software developer for a financial planning product used by utility companies. I moved on to technical support and implementation and then eventually into executive leadership roles. My entire career has been spent in software, combining computer science with business in various ways. When I entered legal tech, I was surprised by how similar the problems are to those of many other verticals. At our core, software companies are all trying to deliver the right technology and support with successful implementations that end users will adopt and drive client success.