Leading international law firm King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) has launched a program enabling the firm’s lawyers to earn KWM LegalTech Belts by demonstrating their level of proficiency across a range of LegalTech tools.
The firm’s micro credentialing program encourages its lawyers to build digital skills and attain LegalTech mastery to optimise legal service delivery by increasing efficiencies for clients who are navigating complex challenges in cost conscious environments.
A ‘first of its kind’ in the legal market, KWM’s has collaborated with LegalTech companies Atticus, Kira, Legatics and Nuix Discover to externally verify the Belts’ different proficiency levels was key to our broader micro-credentialing program.
The Belts are part of a broader multi-year Transformation Programme, designed to equip KWM’s people with skills and knowledge required to need to deliver exceptional client experiences in a continually evolving market.
Michelle Mahoney, Executive Director Innovation, KWM said:
“In designing our KWM LegalTech Belts, we aimed to continue to build our people’s digital capabilities and provide them with an opportunity to have their LegalTech proficiency (which help to optimise the way we work) formally recognised. Working with LegalTech companies
Atticus, Kira, Legatics and Nuix Discover to externally verify our Belts’ different proficiency levels was key to our broader micro- credentialing program. Vendor verification means our LegalTech Belts will help clients to quickly identify and assess the firm’s breadth of digital proficiency, and allow them to leverage our people’s diverse, complementary skillsets and mastery of LegalTech tools.”
As the demand for LegalTech proficiency grows, KWM saw an opportunity to establish a micro- credentialing program to encourage and enable lawyers to deliver matters with increased efficiency
through legal technology tools – while retaining legal service excellence. It will also enable KWM’s clients to quickly identify and assess the firm’s breadth of digital proficiency, and allow them to leverage KWM people’s diverse, complementary skillsets and mastery of LegalTech tools.
Further commenting on the launch of the LegalTech Belts, Berkeley Cox, Chief Executive Partner, Australia said:
“KWM is focused on enabling our people to deliver technical excellence at greater speed and lower cost through legal technology tools. Through the development of our LegalTech Belts, we have created a micro-credentialing program to develop digital proficiency and drive adoption of those tools to complement deep technical legal expertise. By formally awarding vendor-verified qualifications, we will be encouraging our lawyers to build LegalTech mastery and optimise legal service delivery for our clients.”
KWM is implementing a firm-wide transformation program, designed to create better, more cost-conscious outcomes for our clients. Transformation at KWM is focused on enhancing our digital literacy and capability with LegalTech, as well as driving adoption of process improvement automation and the delivery of legal services digitally.
Earlier in the year, KWM were the winners of the 2021 Financial Times Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers Awards [People & Skills category] recognising the firm’s “digital first” approach to client service and people development.
