From the trenches

By Eva bruch
TWITTER @evabruch

A tribute to the lawyers who persevere, resist… and still want to improve.
No, this is not another article about artificial intelligence.
Nor about digital transformation.
Nor about the future that is coming and will run you over if you don't adapt.
This article is for you.
If you.
That you're in an office, large or small, with thousands of open fronts,
with a full inbox, a ringing phone, nervous customers, and an Excel spreadsheet that can't handle any more.
And yet…
You want to improve.
I don't know how you do it.
Really.

Because if being a lawyer is already difficult,
Being a lawyer and wanting to improve the firm at the same time,
It's almost an act of professional resistance.
What you do is not obsolete.
It's heroic.
You uphold the legal system while you learn, test tools, review processes, and resist trends from outside.
Sometimes they tell you the right thing: "we have to innovate."
Other times, the regular one is: “You’re late.”
And often, simply wrong: "it's all your fault."
But the truth is this:
The office can't be built by AI, ERP, or a strategic plan..
You lift it up, from the trenches.
While others speak at events,
You are attending to a customer who is crying.
While LinkedIn is becoming filled with gurus,
You rush to write a document because the deadline is tomorrow.

Do things need to change? Yes.
Is it time to professionalize, organize, and automate? Yes, that too.
But the problem isn't you..
The problem is that for years nobody taught you how to lead a firm.
And you're learning it now.
In the middle of the storm.
That's why I'm not bringing you a critique today.
Not even a diagnosis.

I bring you a standing ovation.
To continue.
For resisting.
For having the clarity to want to change… even when everything is difficult.
This is coming from someone who has fought, and continues to fight, in the midst of the storm.
Go at your own pace. But keep going.
And if you need help along the way,
There are professionals who don't come to judge,
but to focus, criteria and structure.
Like you, we are also in the trenches.