34 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – DECEMBER 2023 WWW.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM ROUNDTABLE who just returned to work from maternity leave. Before you assume that she may rather work less hours in the office and stay home with the baby, ask her first. Give the same networking and leadership opportunities to female lawyers. With more female leaders, you would inspire other younger women to aspire to the same leadership positions. ALB: What qualities are essential for a law firm leader to evolve with time and survive the next wave of technological disruptions? Sam: Law firm leaders must keep an open mind, read widely, know the benefits and risks of using AI, and harness technological disruptions. We need to keep honing these skills to focus on value-based work and explore how AI and technological disruptions can be incorporated into legal practice. The buzz surrounding technology disruption — the current iteration of GPT — is still in its infancy. If the delivery of legal services proves to be an effective and value-added service using “natural language processing”, clients may increasingly expect lawyers to utilise AI or similar technological innovations to automate legal research and the drafting of documents, such as briefs and memos. However, there is also a need to bridge the gap for individuals who may be less tech-savvy to ensure that they are not left behind in this evolving landscape. Chandran: First is technology. To that end, a nimble firm like ours uses technology (and resourcefulness) to punch above our weight in disputes where we face opponents with larger teams. Second, I would say prioritising disputes in certain high-growth areas. For example, as a firm, we specialise in technology disputes (all the way from IP cases to cases involving cryptocurrency); as part of our banking disputes practice, we also work on cases in the private wealth/trust and family office space. Our Appellate Practice, which focuses on novel and complex areas of law, spans aviation, equity and trust, professional and medical negligence, partnership disputes and fraud/misrepresentation claims. Then, it’s critical to have humility and a growth mindset. By staying open and humble, and constantly learning and growing, I strive to make our firm a platform for lawyers who are similarly looking to grow and develop their professional skills while serving clients and doing good work. It is truly a privilege to be able to use one’s skills and talents in pursuit of a worthy cause, and I am so grateful and blessed that I have the opportunity to do what I love every day (advocacy) and humbly serve and honour my clients’ trust and faith in us, sur- “As female leaders, we have an obligation to send the elevator down and ensure that the profession continues to see strong and talented female advocates in the years to come. To this end, I head a mentorship programme with the Law Society to ensure that more female lawyers have guidance and support to stay in practice.” — Shobna Chandran, Shobna Chandran LLC Image: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com
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