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Building Bridges: Intergenerational Collaboration in Modern Law Firms
Building Bridges: Intergenerational Collaboration in Modern Law Firms
Long before deciding to join the Bar my aspiration was to become a neurosurgeon. I find the two professions to be quite similar: a client’s future may be “doomed,” and it is dependent on you to perform your role to the best of your skills and abilities. Some say this makes for a lonely profession, but does it really?
To become a surgeon, one receives many years of training and supervision by those who are experienced in their role and have amassed deep knowledge and great skills. The operating theatre is filled with medical professionals co-operating seamlessly to facilitate the surgeon’s work. Collaboration is key even for surgeons. Similarly, a barrister is trained by pupil supervisors during pupillage and supported by peers, clerks, paralegals, and solicitors once they are ‘on their feet’.
I have been on my feet for some months now. As a pupil in DWF’s in-house chambers, I may have enjoyed more opportunities for intergenerational collaboration than some of my fellow pupils at the traditional self-employed Bar. For example, we have dedicated communication platforms for seeking help and sharing intelligence. We also have access to others’ calendars, which I utilised to find complex and interesting cases to observe. Through these I gained practical insights that no advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) can ever provide.
That is why I believe fostering intergenerational collaboration is crucial in the age of AI. After all, AI tells you what people say, but it doesn’t show you what they do and how it is done. In practice, however, knowing what people do is equally if not more important. By shadowing senior members of chambers, I learned ways of interacting with clients, witnesses, court staff, opponents, and judges. I also discovered new approaches to arguing a case. These help me tremendously as I continue to explore my own style and preferences.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., an American jurist, once said: “The life of the law has not been logic: it has been experience.” This maxim highlights the need for lawyers to connect with those who have come before them. I am therefore of the view that modern law firms must leverage digital tools to bridge generations, so that learning opportunities are not lost due to remote working, at least until there exists a database for human experience. Perhaps that is something future neurosurgeons can create. ■
Eugene Tang
Pupil Barrister, DWF Chambers
The life of the law has not been logic: it has been experience.
