Productizing Legal Work

Book excerpt: For millions of Americans, creating an estate plan no longer involves a high-priced attorney. Instead, they can log into LegalZoom and get the job done for a fraction of the cost. The same goes for filing a tax return: no need for a CPA, TurboTax can do it for you! At the heart of these tools (productized services) is a technique for converting work that has traditionally been done by a professional for a limited number of clients to work that can be shared, licensed or sold to a much wider audience (usually through the use of online or specialized software technologies). People create productized services in order to help more people and create new revenue streams. Consumers, in turn, get access to valuable services at lower cost. While creating productized services was once challenging and expensive, a new generation of facilitating tools enable any enterprising person - including law students and lawyers – to productize services with greater ease than ever before. This book unpacks the concept and impact of productizing services and provides a step-by-step introduction to the process of productizing legal work. Features: Productizing Legal Work (PLW) offers an engaging description of the changing legal market, and the role of productization within it. PLW features with examples for different types and stages of productizing that readers will recognize and relate to. PLW provides a step-by-step description of the process for productizing legal work to guide and motivate readers who are either interested in productizing or have an idea for productizing that they want to develop. Professors and students will benefit from: Relevant discussion and examples of how productized services fit into a changing legal workplace Reflection questions aid class discussion Exercises guide students through each step of the process of planning and development Productization as a lens through which to view previously unimagined possibilities for delivering legal services—and one that can prompt larger discussions about technology, professional identity, and changing norms. Teaching materials to include: Reflection questions for students Exercises that engage readers in constructive and creative thinking Citations to other sources for students who want to drill into various topics