I guess I have some thoughts for people looking to get into legal tech and innovation. It feels like it's been about to break big for the past ten years, but maybe it's really happening now? Definitely money is starting to flow.

First of all, this isn't new. Legal tech has been happening for about 30 years. I'm thinking @LIICornell and @caliorg and @marclauritsen and Ron Staudt and many others.

Personally - and I've given talk on this - I think legal tech started with print Shepards buuuut...

My point it, some things have been tried and failed because the world wasn't ready for idea yet and some ideas have failed because they were bad ideas. Check if you have a new idea (you probably don't) and see what's happened in the past.

Technology is not the solution. Technology is one tool among many to get to solution.

Related: Figure out what problem you are trying to solve first.

The user is not broken.

If people don't like your solution, it's up to you to figure out why. Forcing someone to use something never ends well.

(This is not about the "I can't contemplate change so not going to do anything" people. Those people suck and can be ignored.)

Legal tech and innovation has many many verticals. None of them is more important or worthy than another.

Law is a service profession and all users deserve the best service possible.

Related: when you hear term "access to justice" you should not just think about economically disadvantaged people.

Lawyers are not the only participants in the legal ecosystem. There's room for many types of legal service providers and many are already working in space whether or not lawyers give them permission to do so or notice their existence.

e.g. librarians <cough>

So much of what is happening is not happening on Twitter or LinkedIn or blogs or talked about at conferences.

A lot of the real game changers are actually kind of simple and boring. It would be one slide presentation.

There is definitely a place for "thought leadership" although I hate that term. Working through ideas and contemplating future can be good. Watch for people who are more interested in being called a leader than doing leadership or otherwise have no idea what they're talking about

And finally, and I can't believe I have to say this in 2020, more than white men are participating in this world and if nothing else, you will have a better product and experience if you increase the diversity of those around you.

Addendum related to above but I just forgot to include: legal tech and innovation is not just happening in United States, or Western countries or global North. There are no borders.