"Turn your weakness to strength and strength to second nature." – Zlatan Ibrahimović
Think of that one person you know that always has an abundance of energy and is just helplessly positive, equipped with a motivational quote for every moment.
The battery industry has the Energizer bunny, the legal tech world has Saad Khan.
Saad serves as the Enterprise Business Development Representative at Clio, the world’s first cloud-based practice management software.
As a graduate from York University’s Commerce program (and a die-hard soccer fan), Saad entered the legal space from a background in Marketing. Thus, his journey was one that did not necessarily spell out “legal tech”... this turned out to be a “happy little accident.”
For Saad, it was “the opportunity to educate and drive change” that merged the worlds of marketing and legal tech.
He elaborates,
"Toronto is one of the tech hubs within North America, and of course, I wanted to be in that bubble. I started looking into companies with cultures and ideologies that would resonate with my own. Of course, having a strong product was absolutely key, but the more I read about Clio the more I was exposed to its award-winning culture. Clio had been voted as having the best company culture and as being the top employer, this intrigued me. On top of that, I saw that the legal industry was still using outdated tools, some that were not even legal specific. Seeing new tools develop and drive change, drew me into legal tech."
Clio became a part of Saad. It wasn’t just a company he worked for, but an ideal. His passion became hard to ignore,
"This will sound cliché but I really do mean it, my development in the past year at Clio has been the most exciting part of my journey. It coincides with Clio’s growth as a brand as well."
As Saad assumes his duties, this passion of his strides along as well, informing the way he views Clio’s future,
"Law firms are thinking towards the future - there is so much opportunity out there to really map out what the legal industry will look like, and Clio is right in the middle of the action. We are on the cusp of taking over the legal industry. That is what I want Clio’s future to be."
As greater gaps in societal systems are shoved into the limelight during times of crisis, some might feel that this awareness is short-lived. However, the need for access to justice is being seen and heard by all.
Saad attests,
"There is a huge unmet legal need affecting a large majority of individuals and small businesses. This represents both a lack of access to justice for many people but also a largely underdeveloped market for accessible and affordable legal services. Technology can help tackle this problem by reducing costs, freeing up lawyers so they can spend time on tasks where their skills are most needed, enabling people to have greater control in resolving their legal problems."
With one foot in the legal world and another in the marketing sphere, Saad has a unique perspective, which could be gold for many up and coming innovators looking to get their products to market,
"The legal profession is changing massively, so think about that when choosing your firm or solutions. You will need different skills from the ones lawyers have relied on in the past – a lot more creativity, flexibility, and inventiveness. You will also find that the 'entry-level' work that junior lawyers have historically cut their teeth on is increasingly automated, so you will need to learn those skills in a different (and hopefully more interesting!) way. Be open-minded and always think about how you can do things better because those skills will be really valuable as the profession changes."
Nevertheless, having a brilliantly coiffed message does little good if there is no one willing to hear it - a hurdle that has plagued legal tech for far too long, but according to Saad it doesn’t take much to bridge this gap,
"Open ears are needed and proactive young lawyers need to take a step forward. The industry is changing, it's obvious now more than ever. The legal and medical professions have been around forever but look at where healthcare is. People still imagine a law office filled with filing cabinets (think of the show Suits). I love Suits but law firms do not have to be filled with paper files, and good work does not have to mean slaving away for hours in your archives to find one key piece of information anymore. We are open to working with legal professionals to help them adapt and pave a new way forward. As old as the legal industry is, the innovation side of the business is still in its infancy. There is such a massive opportunity to take what's good and move towards something together that could be better."
The road ahead will not be easy, far from it, but if these past few months have taught the world one thing, it is to “view painful problems as potential improvements streaming at you” – Ray Dalio
You can connect with Saad on:
To learn more about Clio please visit: Clio