An empirical study of lawyers' capability to adapt to disruption in Queensland, Australia

An online survey of 261 Queensland legal practitioners working in sole, micro, small or medium-sized law firms provides valuable insights into their capability to successfully navigate disruption like that experienced during COVID-19. Our results indicated that respondent lawyers demonstrated progressiveness, openness and willingness to engage with innovative approaches, including technology, to build greater capacity within their firms. However, the results from the research identified several overlapping challenges faced by respondents that reduced their capability to adapt to disruption, including being time-poor and difficulty obtaining impartial and trustworthy information and training about emerging forms of disruption.

Automated summary

An online survey of 261 legal practitioners in various-sized law firms in Queensland provides valuable insights into their ability to navigate disruption. The results show that the lawyers demonstrated progressiveness, openness, and willingness to adopt innovative approaches, including technology, to enhance their firms' capacity. However, challenges such as time constraints and difficulty obtaining trustworthy information and training on emerging disruption were identified.