February 28, 2022

By Mike Haven

A note from Mike Haven & Betsi Roach, CLOC Leadership. Read the full message.

We enter 2022 primed for growth and impact.

We are living through one of the most challenging, but exciting, times in our history, a crossroads in the development of legal operations. After many years pushing for change, our community has helped drive a wave of investment and adoption that has transformed the face of Legal. Even a historic multi-year pandemic has not stopped the momentum and growth of our movement.

Let us resist the temptation to slow down or tamp down our ambitions. This is no time to stop moving forward. Our organization has always been about solving problems; it is what has made us great, and what defines our community. Collectively, we have innovated powerful new ways to work smarter, faster, and with greater scale and focus to the delivery of legal services. We will keep pushing in these areas, but it is now time to apply that same problem-solving power to the stubborn challenges of equity and access.

We can, and must, make our industry work better for everyone. We have to look at access at all levels, particularly when it comes to the pipeline of young people entering the field. We have to make Legal more compelling and accessible for a new generation of diverse professionals. When we bring more diverse candidates into our space, we shift entrenched systems and culture in deep ways. Let’s work together to find ways to push Legal forward in this, the most important challenge of all.

As we move forward, our problems are only becoming more complex. To solve them, we have to reach across the ecosystem. We have to stop relying on our own limited toolsets and start pulling in other experts and voices. One of our clear focus areas for 2022 is to continue to engage with law firms, legal service providers, technology companies, and law schools. No one has all the answers. Almost everything requires a combination of skills and approaches. We will keep broadening our community to find the ideas, expertise, and perspectives we need.

Our progress is a testament to the strength of this community. The real power of CLOC lies in the ingenuity, determination, and collaborative spirit of our members. Our greatest assets have always been the capability and generosity of our people. We are honored to have the opportunity to help steer this incredible organization. Thank you for your support and trust. We look forward to an amazing 2022!