From startup to acquisition – one family lawyer's journey of innovation

In episode no. 89 my guest is Fiona Kirkman, CEO and co-founder of FamilyProperty. We cover:

• The functionality of expert system FamilyProperty that Fiona and her co-founder (husband!) Tim developed;
• The journey of FamilyProperty from an idea to MVP, to market, to acquisition;
• The integration of FamilyProperty with global practice management software, Smokeball bringing the ‘business of law’ together with effective delivery of legal advice;
• How technology is always changing and the need for ongoing maintenance (especially when court forms change!);
• The importance of beta testing and accurate data mapping;
• Benefits of this use of technology for lawyers and clients;
• What it is about the people that adopt these new methodologies and the organisations in which they work, including their size and what that means for change management;
• The impact of the pandemic on the legal industry;
• Where you fit on ‘the innovative scale’;
• The importance of understanding users’ pain points and how technology can assist with that, as well as empower the professionals to do more of the ‘human work’;
• Plans for scaling and expansion of FamilyProperty in the USA;
• Unexpected uses of the financial aspects of FamilyProperty and a model that Legal Aid is piloting;
• Constraints that Fiona and Tim have come up against recently;
• The importance of confidentiality and cybersecurity;
• Fiona’s 3 passions and how they relate to her numerous roles;
• What lawyers will need to be effective mediators in the future;
• What is the ‘resolution revolution’?;
• The importance of collaborative practice and multidisciplinary input;
• When Fiona became comfortable with being labelled an ‘innovator’;
• What she is most proud of along the journey of both joys and challenges;
• How technology is an enabler of access to justice; and
• Fiona’s definition of legal innovation.

Proudly sponsored by Neota Logic!

Links:

• Family Property
• Smokeball
• Neota Logic Solution Gallery
• Neota Logic
• Churchill Trust Project
• Survey
• Future Ready Regional and Rural Legal Conference

Andrea Perry-Petersen – LinkedIn - Twitter @winkiepp – andreaperrypetersen.com.au

Twitter - @ReimaginingJ

Facebook – Reimagining Justice group