Leadership sessions forWorkdayMBP PartnersPwC Middle EastABP GroupRichmond EventsFirst Abu Dhabi Bank
Featured inBloombergThe Wall Street JournalThe Telegraph
Jay Connelly, Global Chief Talent Officer of Dentons, the world's largest law firm with over 8,000 lawyers in over 140 locations across 52 countries, invited Matthew to Paris to present to the firm's senior executive team at a café near its head office by the Arc de Triomphe. Jay's brief was to "freak" them out: on a scale where one is cute kittens and ten is complete alarm about the new world, turn the dial up to eight.
Matthew's starting point was that as the borders between industries erode, change in one has knock-on effects in others, and the legal profession, which sits at the heart of every industry, is at the nexus of that change. Over an hour and a half he covered the changes facing the industries Dentons serves, from autonomous cyber security platforms and vertical farms to virtual reality in retail and the future of transportation.
"In a world that is full of change, and where today is the slowest we will all ever move again, it's a wonderful time to be a lawyer."Matthew Griffin, Paris, November 2016
Dentons was no stranger to change. Its NextLaw Labs was working with ROSS Intelligence, built on IBM Watson, to automate the work of paralegals and cut the time and cost of researching cases. But like many organisations, it was less aware of the depth and rate of change outside its own industry.
With over 170 emerging technologies on the way, from AI and blockchain to 3D bioprinting, gene editing, nanotech, quantum computing and VR, every one carries legal ramifications. Who is liable when an autonomous car, aircraft, ship or truck is hacked, or when 3D bioprinted heart tissue fails early? And if the European Union gives robots rights, how does that change employment law? New laws and regulation will follow, and that is Dentons' opportunity.
He closed on his central message: in a world where today is the slowest we will ever move again, it is a wonderful time to be a lawyer.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Your sector is not a boundary.
Matthew's starting point was that borders between industries are eroding. Change in one sector now has effects in others. The legal profession sits at the heart of every industry, so it feels all of it.
Every new technology creates legal questions.
More than 170 emerging technologies are on the way, from AI and blockchain to gene editing and quantum computing. Each raises questions of liability and rights. Autonomous ships and aircraft are good examples, as rules for crewless and pilotless operation are still being written.
Regulation is where the opening sits.
Dentons already had NextLaw Labs working with ROSS Intelligence to automate paralegal research. The wider gap was awareness of change outside its own industry. Firms that read the whole field early can advise on new laws before they arrive. The accelerating rate of change shortens the time to prepare.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Which technologies outside our industry could change our legal exposure?
Who owns the question of liability for autonomous systems in our firm?
How far ahead do our planning cycles look compared with the pace of change?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
It means looking beyond your own sector. Technology change in other industries brings legal and regulatory consequences to your door. Organisations that map those links early are better placed to advise clients and shape new rules.
How does the accelerating rate of change relate to this session?
Faster technology adoption and shorter corporate lifespans compress business planning cycles. That leaves less time to understand the legal impact of each new technology. 311 rates this trend as Act now.
How do autonomous ships relate to the legal questions raised?
The session asked who is liable when an autonomous ship is hacked. Global rules for crewless and remotely run ships are arriving as autonomy moves from trials towards trade. 311 rates this trend as Watch, with wide use expected by 2036.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
311 offers a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. It is delivered in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
If Matthew gave this session today
Whole industries could soon be disrupted in a day.
The Future of Exponential Disruption looks at the forces accelerating global disruption and how close we are to disrupting whole industries in a day, and every one of those industries brings new legal questions for firms like Dentons.
