Any millennial, lawyer or not, would question my judgment on timing. The world is still recovering from the pandemic; cryptocurrency and Meta just suffered a catastrophic collapse. Regionally, Russia still won't concede that it had lost the war against Ukraine even before it started. Domestically, Democrats and Republicans in equal measure still make it hard for people to believe that the elections and the ensuing parade of policies are for the people's interests and not their political parties. Some vacillate between avoiding news that constantly alarms us that the world economy hangs in the balance and quitting Twitter or other social media platforms (not that one truly can) that keeps us amused through ten-second entertainment. As I watch these events unfold, I critically question how they would impact at least 21.2 million people living in the United States as non-citizens.

For example, how could thousands of temporary workers maintain their legal status after losing their tech jobs? How do Russian families in the US who openly criticize or oppose Putin return to their homes safely? When can outstanding individuals brought to the US illegally as children achieve permanence and stability in the only country they call home because Congress, once again, failed to enact a permanent solution for them?

There is no better time to build a legal service platform, also known as a law firm, than when the need to serve greatly outweighs the pain (and it can be painful) of running one's firm. As a millennial, I am careful not to adopt the same law firm models known to cause a high incidence of alcoholism and drug abuse among U.S. attorneys. Aside from its human costs, we have seen how the concept of billable hours invariably defies two important KPIs: efficiency and productivity. We now know that there are far better reporting methods than recording the work done in tenths of an hour. Similarly, as millennials, in recognizing the bargaining power that is inherent in simply being millennials, we determine how workplaces should look: packed with massive data servers and stand-up desks with treadmills to entice employees to come in, even before the pandemic forced us to come only during office lunch days.

It is worth noting that this is not a manifesto of millennial entitlement but an offer to look at how millennials can improve the work of lawyering because we pursue things out of intellectual autonomy and empathy.

You Can Have a Tech-Enabled Firm with a Focus on Empathy

Derived from over 13 years of experience in immigration law, I learned that the latest technologies in legal process management exemplify how legal services can focus on accessibility, efficiency, and well-articulated expertise in every stage of client experience, from intake to closing of a case. But the task goes beyond assembling the most powerful configuration of legal tech tools (if one so desires). My first job as a tech sales associate for AOL (also known as America Online Time Warner, one of the early pioneers of the Internet in the mid-1990s that pioneered instant messaging) taught me the essence of digital empathy. In retrospect, I understand that millennials and later generations were meant to usher in a more communicative and familiar world as we get more closely acquainted with each other through zoom, a podcast, or a TikTok dance. Here are some ways to show that.

Simplified Instruction and Intake process

Firms can simplify instruction and the intake process, which is now possible with online forms and workflow and process automation. Technology strengthens collaboration with clients and partners by providing self-service tools and offering secure access to content and projects via an easy-to-use extranet system. With the consistency of instructions, firms can prevent delays in matter progress and leverage the data for internal and client reporting.

A digital interface can give clients and staff a transparent, unified picture of exactly where things stand. Matter status, billing details, archived projects, files, and contracts can all be securely managed in one single source of truth. Clients can have fast access to self-service features like e-signatures and assigned tasks. Instant notification of client activity helps improve responsiveness, and a record of communication and messages ensures that no single detail is missed.

Differentiated Client Experience

A firm can be tech-empowered to be more efficient, agile, and competitive, with a legal support staff that works more intelligently and collaboratively in delivering responsive and transparent service. Its system tracks activities and push-notifies the team of impending tasks triggered by the completion of certain prior tasks. This activity-driven system reporting is certainly a response against antiquated methods of employee reporting, where employees must manually input into the system each task or assignment made, which is a dreadful task in itself. The legal support staff can also assign tasks to clients through their client portal, where they access all communications and notifications, and document requests from the firm.

The time given up to automation allows time for compassionate and meaningful client interactions - that run counter to the billable-hour models – and provide real opportunities to provide excellent client experience. In immigration law firms, the staff can take the time to provide deep insights to foreign-born clients in navigating their immigrant journey toward success in the U.S. beyond merely obtaining citizenship.

Easier Access to Representation and Streamlined Client Communications

Legal representation may prove costly to those who come here with almost nothing (as most immigrants do) and incomprehensible for those who do not speak English. One way to eliminate or lower these barriers is by providing them with sensible ways to afford legal services and two, by interacting with them in their native tongue. For example, a firm can use interpreters and translation services in 250+ languages equipped with language-detection technologies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is no better time to start a firm than now. As millennials, we are to allow ourselves to explore the farthest ends where our pursuit for intellectual autonomy could take us. Most importantly, millennial lawyers should seek to be known for a brand of lawyering that contributes to restoring dignity to the oppressed, poor, persecuted, and marginalized in their home countries or simply those who want a second chance, using technological tools that break down barriers and cultivate empathy. After all, that is what our generation is about.

It takes empathy to represent those who leave their birthplace to pursue a different path and to help them preserve their freedom to chase their dreams, purpose, and a life worth living. Their unbreakable spirit encourages us to pursue our own path, especially if technology makes it easier for us to be all we can be. And it is always time to pursue noble things.

With a tech-enabled immigration practice, we can reach those living in the shadows that have no resources or access to culturally-sensitive legal representation. We can talk about immigrant success stories, the hardships they had to endure, and the laws that allowed them to prevail. We can challenge laws that delay the immigrant's progress as a critique of our broken immigration system, urging those in power to put their empathy into action. So, today, I am launching a tech-empowered immigration firm. With The Journey Law, I can be what I dreamed of becoming when I first came to the United States 15 years ago.