How do you answer: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the legal sector today?

Jul 10, 2024

Written By Georgia Purcell

We’ve all been there: sat in a small room with an interviewer staring expectantly at you. ‘What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the legal sector today?’ They’ve just asked you. This isn’t ever an easy question or one you can prep in advance – the legal sector is a constantly shifting landscape that demands constant attention and innovation. The challenge of yesterday may not be the challenge of tomorrow! From evolving client expectations to technological advancements, regulatory changes, talent retention, and globalisation, there are constant obstacles and challenges to the smooth running of the legal profession. This article guides you through how to answer this tricky question with ease and aplomb.

Identifying the Biggest Challenges

The legal sector is confronted with no small number of challenges, each with its own complexities and implications. Understanding where these challenges stem from and how to address them is essential to answering the question comprehensively and ensuring the continued success and relevance of the legal sector.

The legal sector is increasingly affected by globalisation, as cross-border transactions, international disputes, and regulatory harmonisation become more prevalent, making our world more and more interconnected. This presents both opportunities and challenges for legal practitioners – but staying well-informed and globally aware is sure to help with this.

Evolving Client Expectations

You may choose to focus on evolving client expectations in your answer. After all, in this digital age, clients are redefining their expectations of the legal system. They’re seeking efficient, transparent, and cost-effective care, and they want innovative solutions that push the boundaries of our current capabilities.

It is important to stress in your answer that law firms have to stay on top of this. Talk about how firms are adapting to meet these changing demands by embracing client-centred approaches, using technology to our advantage, and offering value-added services to enhance client satisfaction and foster continuous and long-term relationships.

Technological Disruption

Technology can be a huge assistant for legal services, and it’s helping to reshape the legal sector. Time and assets are being saved by revolutionising practices using AI, and technology is offering unprecedented opportunities for efficiency and innovation. Despite this, technological disruption is causing huge challenges like job displacement and, particularly in the legal sector, ethical dilemmas, and cybersecurity risks.

In a sector with so much confidential information and the direction of people’s lives in our hands, it’s essential to implement robust cybersecurity measures whilst still fostering an innovative environment. There’s no shortage of material on the way technology has and continues to impact the legal sector, so if you choose to focus on this as your main challenge you won’t struggle for information!

Regulatory Changes and Compliance Complexity

The regulatory landscape is in a constant state of flux, presenting challenges for legal professionals navigating complex compliance requirements across jurisdictions and practice areas. For this reason, this could also be a good challenge to focus on in your answer.

If you do, be sure to stress that proactive compliance strategies, regulatory expertise, and effective risk management practices are essential for mitigating uncertainty and ensuring adherence to evolving legal frameworks.

Access to Justice and Diversity

Issues of access to justice and diversity remain pervasive in the legal system, with marginalised groups facing financial, linguistic, and representative barriers. Although there’s been more of a discourse around this huge issue in recent years, it’s not going away on its own and requires constant and conscious effort on the part of law firms.

Therefore, you may choose to focus on this as the main challenge. If you do, be sure to stress that promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal profession is crucial for addressing gendered and racial disparities and fostering a more equitable justice system.

Globalisation and Geopolitical Uncertainty

Globalisation and geopolitical uncertainty have profound implications for the legal sector. They shape the landscape of cross-border transactions, international disputes, and regulatory frameworks. Understanding the impact of these forces and implementing effective strategies to navigate global complexities are crucial for law firms seeking to thrive in an interconnected world.

Globalisation has facilitated an increase in cross-border transactions and international business activities, leading to a growing demand for legal services that transcend national boundaries. However, this interconnectedness also exposes legal practitioners to geopolitical risks and uncertainties arising from geopolitical events such as trade tensions, Brexit, and shifting regulatory frameworks.

If you choose to talk about this as the biggest challenge, make sure you mention that, by expanding into international partnerships and diversifying their services, firms can mitigate these risks.

Talent Retention and Skills Gap

Attracting and retaining top legal talent is a perennial challenge for law firms and legal departments. The legal profession faces stiff competition from other industries for skilled professionals, exacerbated by concerns over work-life balance, career advancement opportunities, and job satisfaction.

If you focus on this challenge in your answer, make sure that you emphasise that addressing the talent retention challenge requires law firms to offer competitive compensation packages, professional development opportunities, and a supportive work culture that values diversity and inclusivity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the legal sector is confronted with a diverse array of challenges that demand proactive responses from legal professionals. Understanding and addressing these challenges, including evolving client expectations, technological disruption, regulatory changes, access to justice, globalisation pressures, and talent retention struggles, are essential for ensuring the continued success and relevance of the legal sector.

So when answering this question, make sure that you draw on current events to enhance your answer and show you know what you’re talking about!

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