Winter is coming, the challenges facing the legal industry are growing, and the time to adapt is now.
Nobody knows this better than Chrissie Lightfoot, aka #TheNakedLawyer. And so, in her search of stability, continuity, and the next HUGE thing in Law Law Land, Chrissie jetted off to the Netherlands. She found herself in the quaint town of Alkmaar - home of the famous cheese market and our Betty Blocks headquarters. There she sat down with our CEO Chris Obdam to learn about the origins of the Betty Blocks name, and the vision of the company.
In 'The Naked Lawyer Abroad - Winter is Coming: In Search of the Next HUGE Thing' Chrissie muses on the synergy between her and Chris' origins, and their relationship to the legal industry.
She reflects on how self-building applications enables a robust, secure, and agile long-term innovation strategy. She goes on the hunt for “the right killer platform”, one that “needs to be absolutely secure, whilst limitless, without a ceiling, offering unlimited flexibility.” Is it a coincidence that, on her hunt for this platform, she eventually ended up at the Betty Blocks headquarters in Alkmaar?
Let's see a little sneak peek...
We are all, no doubt, looking for a way through the present challenges and contemplating what will hopefully be a much brighter future in contrast to the dark days we have endured and are currently experiencing.
First Brexit, then the global Covid pandemic (beginning Q4 2019), followed by ‘Putin’s War’, has put a huge spanner in the economic and geopolitical stability works, sending shockwaves that have been felt in every corner of our fragile planet, from nations and governments to law courts, stock-exchanges, institutions, corporations, businesses and households. Steering a viable, feasible, and sustainable household and/or business in calm waters can be challenging enough, but when we are faced with traversing relentless rough seas that lurch from one crisis to another, it requires steadfastness, courage, resilience, sound strategies and smart, bold decisions to navigate a series of sudden disruptions, whether predicted or unexpected.
Winter is coming.
Actually… a very looooooooooonnnggggg winter has already arrived. The writing is on the wall…
Hence, not being a shrinking violet when the s**t has, or is about to, hit the proverbial fan, The Naked Lawyer was determined to take whatever control she could in shaping her own destiny. Undeterred by the recent (and potential further) imbalance in her carefully crafted personal and professional strategies and plans of the past 3 years, she ventured forth during the blistering 2022 summer of discontent with the remit to steer me and my company through the volatile market conditions to find that “next huge thing” in Law Law Land. If it is true that ‘in adversity there is opportunity’, surely, there isn’t a better time than the present to evaluate this hypothesis! In the worldly circumstances, not wishing to delude myself, it seriously is time to get real, think practical, and be pragmatic. I am curious though, as no doubt you are too – with an indicative recession for many nations on the near horizon – what is likely to happen, or unfold whether by chance or design, over the next 3 months, let alone the next 12-24 months throughout our precious world, and in particular, in relation to Law Law Land.
Is history going to repeat itself, I wonder?
Are businesses, law firms and legal departments going to batten down the hatches – again? Will lawyers stick their heads in the sand and attempt to ride this next crisis out, doing what they’ve always done and getting what they’ve always got? Zero progress and missed opportunity by doing nothing and saying, “let’s just wait and see”. Or, wearing my eternal optimist designer hat, will some brave souls be bold and smart enough to seek opportunity, along with the intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs, ALSPs, LegalTech and LawTech start-ups, and take action to grow and capitalise during the tempest ahead? And if so, where is that opportunity likely to lie?
Bored with the current status-quo, worried about the current state of world affairs, fired up for a new challenge, with a roaming eye and a serious flirt on for 2023, The Naked Lawyer was keen to explore...
For a storm is coming…
The headwinds are already blowing… the world is becoming scarier and therefore business challenges are deepening. The constant cycle of chaos, crises and roller-coaster ups and downs is getting shorter. We’d all better get used to it. And so, it’s time to prepare, recession or not, and adapt fast...
Not unlike you, I'm deeply concerned right now with current world affairs that affect all of us. Am I ready for this chaotic present and future? Are you? ...
______________________________________________________________________________
Having already attracted over 135,000 views on LinkedIn since 13th October 2022 this article is a MUST READ for all c-suite personnel (particularly) in the legal profession (aka Chairman, Senior Partner, Managing Director, Managing Partner, Partner, CEO, CXO, COO, CIO, CTO, CFO, CMO etc), or anyone in a key decision-making role and position who are keen to look out for themselves, loved ones, family, friends, people, technology and business in the present and future (aka Head of the Household; Head of the Department etc) ...
Are you curious to know what The Naked Lawyer found? Including the scoop on the real Betty Blocks story??? Read the full bumper article here:
Chrissie is an Independent Non-Executive Director and Advisor, a global multi-award-winning Legal Futurist, Consultant, Influencer, Entrepreneur, Lawyer, AI LawTech Pioneer, Strategist, Marketeer, Brand builder, best-selling Author and Keynote Speaker. Founder and CEO of EntrepreneurLawyer Ltd. Chief Tech Advisor and Writer to Modern Law (Chair of the ‘Technology in Law Law Land’ roundtable).
*** This is the first of three articles. Watch this space for the second instalment of the 'Naked Lawyer Trilogy' Out soon(ish)! *wink* *grin* *smile* *hugs* from The Naked Lawyer xxx ***
