5 skills lawyers can learn from other sectors

Andrew Wingfield, Off-Road Legal

 

“Learning stuff outside of the law gave me patterns of mindset, recognition, skills and perspective which I would not necessarily have had purely within the law.”

 

Andrew Wingfield
Andrew Wingfield

What can the legal profession learn from other industries and domains? 

 

We sat down with Andrew Wingfield to answer this question!

 

Andrew is amongst other things, a former soldier, pilot, conservationist, student of philosophy and spirituality and also a lawyer!

Off Road Legal provides consultancy to legal teams looking for actionable insight and support to succeed across four core areas: Transformation, Technology, Value Creation and Implementation.

 

Tabled has partnered with Off Road Legal and are delighted to offer our friends and clients a complimentary  Discovery Workshop with Andrew and his colleague Peter Impey. This workshop is sure to help unlock legal operations and will provide:

 

  • advice on how to approach challenges you have already identified;
  • new opportunities for tech-facilitated value creation; and
  • practical implementation strategies.

Please complete this short form and Tabled will put you in touch!

After a successful legal career in the banking industry, Andrew is now embarking on a new adventure with his own business, Off Road Legal – a legal services consultancy aimed at helping legal teams and law firms who are looking to step outside-the-box (or ‘off-road’!) in the pursuit of new ideas and opportunities for their activities.

 

Watch the video to venture off the beaten track to see what lessons and inspiration we can find from other sectors that might be of use in the legal industry.

 

 

5 KEY SKILLS LAWYERS CAN LEARN FROM OTHER SECTORS

 

1. Stay Curious

 

As a self-confessed ‘scanner’ personality, Andrew’s key character trait is curiosity. While scanners need discipline to ensure they don’t lose focus too easily, Andrew’s experience has been that this trait has also helped him to avoid reinventing the wheel:

 

 

“…it’s an efficient way of finding solutions – merely ‘looking’ as a way of finding solutions rather than working hard yourself…

 

2. “Don’t let the aeroplane get ahead of you”

 

This is a saying from the aviation world which is equally applicable to the legal sphere. There are a handful of elements to this:

 

 

  • Careful planning. Did you know the modern-day checklist was born out of an aviation disaster in 1935 and there is now a ‘National Checklist Day on 30 October?
  • Having the right systems. As flying became more complex in the 30s and 40s, pilot error became more common. Some of this was due to a lack of standardisation within cockpits – levers all looked the same and there was no common layout between different aircraft. This was addressed through the introduction of design thinking and user experience – areas we’ve only recently begun talking about in legal circles;
  • Moving with the times. The evolution of flying from its pioneering and experimental origins to something more technocratic was brought about by the exigencies of war. The legal industry may be going through something similar as we continue to move away from artisanal practices to a more technology and process-driven approach – lawyers need to accept this shift and embrace the opportunity to find and deploy new ways of working.
 

3. Give yourself permission to fail and don’t be afraid of taking calculated risks

 

As a Territorial Army soldier, Andrew was trained in the role of special reconnaissance and operations behind enemy lines. The training process teaches you that, when the stakes are extremely high (life or death), people are capable of far more than they ever thought possible. These situations call for ingenuity and a willingness to accept (and judge) risk. 

 

 

Work-related challenges rarely involve such high stakes so don’t be afraid to push the boundaries and take calculated risks in order to see just how much is possible.

 

 

 

4. Inspiration can come from anywhere

 

One of the catalysts for Off Road Legal, came from a chance encounter and shared taxi ride with a complete stranger who was the founder of the ‘Nomadic School of Business’ and an expert in tribal wisdom. 

 

 

This led Andrew to the exploration of ‘territory mapping’ and the insights and principles that underpin the mission and approach at Off Road Legal.

 

 

5. Draw your map 

 

In the words of a nomadic tribal leader from Papa New Guinea: “territory is everything.”

 

 

You need to be acutely aware of the world around you and always be considering what’s around the next corner. 

 

 

 

Sign up for a demo of Tabled to start drawing your map

 

 

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