Legal Innovation Spotlight The Lawyer Brain vs. Innovation Reality: Barriers Holding Firms Back
Dec 3, 2025
Dom Conte, former lawyer and co-founder of Purple, dives into the challenges law firms face in embracing innovation. He explores the cultural resistance stemming from the 'lawyer mindset' and highlights the critical role of firm-owned data in creating AI-driven solutions. Dom discusses strategies for fostering change, contrasting top-down and grassroots innovation approaches. He argues that non-lawyers and junior attorneys can be key drivers of this transformation, all while emphasizing the importance of adapting to a tech-enabled legal landscape.
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Trainee Macro That Revealed Resistance
- Dom Conte built a Word macro as a trainee to automate cross-checking a 300-page document and finished the task in under an hour.
- His supervisor told him to do it manually, illustrating cultural resistance to efficiency in law firms.
Lawyer Training Embeds Resistance To Efficiency
- Lawyers often value manual effort because billing and training have taught them time-based worth and procedural correctness.
- That mindset creates deep friction for adopting AI and efficiency gains.
Improvement Vs. Foundational Innovation
- Many early 'innovation' roles were window dressing and focused on incremental improvement rather than foundational change.
- True innovation requires aligned leadership and willingness to reimagine firm structure, not just process tweaks.
