President's Message, 0419 UTBJ, Vol. 32, No. 2. 12
| Author | H. DICKSON BURTON |
| Position | Vol. 32 2 Pg. 12 |
March,
2019
Revisiting
the Lighthouse Research Results: How Can We Thrive in a
Changing World?
H.
DICKSON BURTON
What do
your clients think of you? Why don't more people hire an
attorney to help with some of life's most difficult
challenges? How do people choose an attorney? And why do
people think attorneys cost too much?
As you
will remember, under John Lund's leadership last year the
Bar contracted with Lighthouse Research, a Salt Lake City
research firm, to conduct phone surveys and focus groups of
individual and business clients to address these and other
related questions. The answers shed light on what we need to
improve and what we are doing well. You can read the full
reports from the Practice Portal through the Bar's
website. And you should also revisit John Lund's
excellent report on the survey in the May/June 2018 issue of
the Bar Journal. John R. Lund, Meeting the
Market for Legal Services, the Jury is in: Legal Services are
a Tough Sell, Utah B.J. Vol. 32 No. 3 (May/Jun 2018),
available at http:/Avww.utahbar.orgAvp-content/
uploads/2018/05/May_lune_2018_FINAL.pdf. If you have not yet
read these materials, you will especially find it worth your
time to do so. A brief summary of the Lighthouse data can be
found at http://www.utahbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/
Lighthouse-One-Sheets-Combined.pdf.
So why
are we still talking about it nearly a year later? Because
the research provides not only useful data but a reminder
that we must continually examine our practices and adapt them
to meet a changing world and changing client expectations. We
are all aware of the factors and pressures that are
accelerating change in every aspect of our world and our
lives. Arguably, it starts with the Internet and related
technologies which are continuing to revolutionize everything
we do including how we access entertainment, how we shop, how
we interact with the government, and how we communicate with
others around the world. Other technologies are changing how
businesses operate and get things done, including how they
use legal services. Societal, political, and generational
changes are also, both separately and relatedly, effecting
changes and applying pressures on how we live and cope. And
all of this impacts how we operate, or should consider
operating, our law practices.
We see
these changes in other industries, from the way we buy our
cars to the way we visit our doctors or buy our groceries.
Consumers have access to more information than ever, and
savvy consumers expect the services they use to be immediate
(or nearly so), comprehensive, and fairly priced. Consider:
the fastest-growing segment of healthcare is telemedicine,
which experienced a 19,000 percent growth in number of
patients between 2014-2018. Why? Because it's fast,
convenient, and more affordable. How are we coping in the
legal profession?
Among
other things, timely data, including that resulting from our
Lighthouse Research study of last year, help inform us as to
where we stand and...
To continue reading
Request your trial