New dedicated coverage of tech challenges facing law firms and legal departments

Dear Readers:

In the time that I’ve served this publication as a staff writer and editor, I’ve learned that the legal profession is often hesitant to embrace change—and perhaps that’s a good thing. Lawyers have an obligation to their clients to carefully evaluate new ideas, new technologies and new ways of doing business before adopting them. In my opinion, that’s part of what makes the profession so thoughtful and deliberate.

Still, it’s impossible to ignore what’s happening today. Technology, particularly artificial intelligence, isn’t just another topic for IT professionals or legal technology conferences. It’s becoming part of everyday practice, influencing how firms operate, how attorneys serve clients and how law firms make decisions about the future.

We recently surveyed our readers, and one statistic stood out: 95 percent are actively investing in legal technology. That number is remarkable, but it also reflects what many of us see across the profession. Law firms and legal departments are looking for technology that helps them work more efficiently, better serve clients and remain competitive in a rapidly changing environment.

At the same time, separating meaningful innovation from marketing hype isn’t always easy. Lawyers don’t need another sales pitch, but straightforward reporting that explains what’s working, what isn’t and why it matters. That’s the role we believe North Carolina Lawyers Weekly should play, and that’s why we’re expanding our coverage of legal technology. We’ll be reporting on the practical issues law firms and legal departments are facing rather than promoting vendors or chasing the latest buzzwords. Our goal is to provide thoughtful, independent coverage that helps legal professionals make informed decisions about the technology they’re considering and using every day.

You’ll see stories covering topics such as artificial intelligence, legal operations, contract management, cybersecurity, privacy, risk management and the business of running a modern law firm. Just as importantly, we’ll be talking with the attorneys, managing partners and in-house counsel who are using these tools and navigating these challenges, rather than simply reporting on industry predictions.

We’re also giving greater visibility to our Legal Tech Directory, making it easier for readers to research and evaluate legal technology providers in one place. We hope it becomes a valuable resource as firms continue exploring new solutions.

You’ll find all of this in a dedicated legal technology section within our daily news alert, delivered alongside the legal news you already count on. We wanted this information to be part of the products you’re already using, rather than asking you to look somewhere else.

Legal technology is changing the profession in ways that would have been difficult to imagine just a few years ago. Our commitment is to cover those changes with the same fairness, accuracy and thoughtful reporting you’ve come to expect from us. We believe lawyers deserve reliable information as they navigate one of the most significant transformations the profession has experienced in decades.

I hope you’ll look at our new legal technology section, subscribe to our daily news alert if you haven’t already and let us know what you think as we continue building this coverage. As always, I welcome your feedback. You can reach me at [email protected].

With gratitude,

Heath Hamacher

Editor, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly

The dedicated section for legal technology intelligence is now available on SClawyersweekly.com and in your daily alert