The latest webinar panel discussion from the Lawyer sought to debunk some of the myths surrounding the adoption of legal technology. Here are my key take-aways from a wide-ranging and lively discussion:

 -  Be outcomes focused - Don't be too narrow in considering how tech can help. Focus on the outcomes that firms and clients need, rather than the type of tech available. A diverse landscape of products will assist. Can existing tech be repurposed for what you are trying to achieve?

 - Remember your audience - Most lawyers work predominantly in Microsoft Word and Outlook. From a lawyer's point of view, the best legal tech products are those which can seamlessly fit with their everyday work lives. 

- View tech as assistive not conclusive - We are a long way off lawyers being replaced by robots. AI is useful in getting legal work part of the way there, but there is still a need for human judgment. Tech can help free up time to allow the layering on of expert advice given by trained, experienced people. 

- Tech can mean better trained lawyers - Increased use of AI means trainees and other junior fee earners can get more involved with actual legal work - liberating the value that they can bring, enhancing the quality and breadth of their work and creating better training opportunities. 

- The legal market is evolving - There are a number of pressures on firms to move away from traditional billing models. Legal tech is one of them, but is not the only driver for moving towards alternative fee arrangements as the legal market evolves. 

- Be robust in procurement - Cloud services can be as secure as on-premises facility but it does require a robust procurement process, with focus on data security and storage.