UniCourt Influencer Q&A with Karen Campbell of Foley Hoag LLP

Karen Campbell is a trailblazer of information technology, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in some of the largest, most prominent law firms across the globe. 

From her start as a coder with a computer science background, to leading the charge of finding better ways to leverage technology and data at international law firms, such as Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, and now as the Chief Information Officer of Foley Hoag LLP, Karen Campbell has been a driving force in moving forward the necessary evolution of how law firms use technology. 

Equally, or even more, importantly, Karen has been on the frontlines of empowering women to advance and succeed in technology leadership positions within law firms, corporate law departments, and technology providers. She has also been a critical voice in highlighting the challenges women face in the legal industry, serving as an active member of the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) Women Who Lead (WWL) Advisory Committee. 

We enjoyed getting to speak with Karen about her career in the legal industry, her perspective on the growth of data sources and APIs, and her advice for women in law. We hope you enjoy learning from her insights as well!

UniCourt: Tell us your story. What is your background, and what led you to what you are doing now?

Karen Campbell: I have been working in the technology field since the start of my career, beginning with undergrad studies in Computer Science. The technology space is interesting, exciting, challenging, valuable, and ever-changing, all characteristics I enjoy and thrive on. They also align quite nicely with my love of learning and growth. My early career began as a coder for a software developer and has evolved and morphed over the years. Through the course of my career, I have challenged myself to take on new roles, seek out opportunities to learn, stepped outside my comfort zone, and otherwise pushed the boundaries of what I can achieve.

UC: As someone who has worked at several prominent international law firms, how have you seen the use of technology in law firms evolve over time?

KC: Law firms historically have largely operated outside a “typical business model,” in that, the business model largely focused on delivering superior legal services to drive revenue and profitability. Technology was a supporting cost to assist with delivering legal services. In recent years, law firm leaders are more apt to embrace technology for its enabling and innovative capabilities, and its ability to drive profitability, elevate competitiveness and differentiation, deliver efficiencies, and boost client satisfaction. There are several external and internal factors that have led firms to recognize, acknowledge, and embrace technology with more earnest. A few are below:

• Fierce competition among law firms
• Introductions of alternate legal services providers
• The evolving client
• Influence of consumerization in business technology 
• Shift in workplace cultures
• A changed workforce
• Increasing impacts of information security threats
• Changes in the global economy

Firms are now positioning technology as a critical element to firm operations and are partnering with technology leaders. They have evolved from the stance of technology as a mere supporting cost.

UC: From the vantage point of a CIO at an Am Law 200 firm, what new opportunities and challenges are you seeing from the explosion of new data sources and API solutions in the legal industry?

KC: Opportunities abound with data and APIs:

• Analytics and business insights
• New business capabilities
• Economic benefits
• Efficiency gains
• Streamlined cross functional operations
• Accessibility of information
• Automation
• Specialized applications
• Customer loyalty

All firm leaders (technology leaders, business operational leaders, the partnership) should be paying keen attention to this area and the opportunities they present. They should be developing plans to leverage the opportunities in a collaborative manner to reap the benefits.

As with many new capabilities, comes a parallel thread of challenges. This domain is no different. The challenges abound. For starters, they include concerns around data quality, disparate data, unstructured legacy data, performance issues, security and privacy issues, scalability of systems, organizational culture, and the availability of talent resources to strategize and execute.

Data sources and APIs provide a unified view of the business and enables data-driven intelligence and business decisions. To minimize the effects of the challenges above, firms should develop a data strategy through collaboration across various business functions and firm leaders, to include integration plans, appropriate talent, and reiteration of the strategic goals and plans.

UC: What are some of the key takeaways you can share from the Women Who Lead panel discussion at ILTACON 2023, and why do you think this was such an important topic for law firms to talk about?

KC: The discussions were around the broad and deep topic of challenges women leaders face in the workplace. The panel cited several challenges and provided techniques for how to overcome. Some insights shared were as follows:

• The importance of allyship and advocacy
• Dealing with imposter syndrome
• Understanding what it means to be a leader
• Building confidence
• Adherence to personal core values
• Recognition and celebration of accomplishments
• Being intentional about your career journey
• Projecting success in your decisions
• Calling out biases
• Educational and awareness campaigns within firms

So much more could have been covered. The WWL Advisory Committee recognizes the importance and the need for these discussions and will continue to incorporate these in planning.

With a changing workforce, changing cultural norms in the wider domestic and global communities, and law firm competitiveness (among other things), law firms can no longer ignore this critically essential element of the workplace. Law firms are beginning to sprout diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, some further along than others. 

The word ‘sprout’ is intentional to underscore that many firms are at the beginning stages of their journey in terms of driving DEI initiatives to reap the benefits they can provide. Benefits include innovation, ranges in experiences and perspectives, variations in problem-solving, productivity boosts, improved employee satisfaction and morale, improved recruitment and retention initiatives.

UC: As someone who is on the WWL Advisory Committee of ILTA, can you tell us more about the committee’s mission? What advice would you give to other women who are interested in working in the technology space within a law firm?

KC: The mission of the WWL Advisory Committee is to empower women to advance to, and succeed in, technology leadership positions within law firms, corporate law departments and technology providers serving the ILTA community. It works to promote educational, networking, and mentoring opportunities and encourages open, on-going discussions about topics affecting women in technology workplaces.

Women in technology is an area that requires promotion, advocacy, support, and initiatives to drive engagement and success in this space. We should explore strategies to ensure we are trending in the correct direction and work to set up women for success. Opportunities to engage and advance the agenda for women in technology are plentiful. Educational institutions of varying types and at all levels and age groups can build initiatives in their curriculum. Workplaces have opportunities to build initiatives. Other opportunities to support and promote women in technology can be accomplished through community programs, organizational sponsorship, mentorship, and personal effort.

Women should be intentional in their preparatory efforts and decisions around their careers. They should seek advice, guidance, and mentorship, where possible. They should spend time and effort in understanding technology and the industries of interest to them. They should be open to exploring various ways to enter the technology space. It is not the same path for all, and there is no right or one way for entry. They should seek out opportunities for entry or advancement within the organizations and institutions with which they interact or work. Be intentional. Do the work. Prepare for the challenges. Arm yourself with a reliable support system. Use affirmations as emotional nourishment. And go do it!

UC: What are some of your favorite sayings? What are some real-world examples of how you’ve seen those sayings come to life?

KC: I have a few, but those below immediately come to mind.

Barack Obama: “Yes we can!” – an excerpt from a longer quote said in a political context. For me, the excerpt also serves as an affirmation and a reminder that we can accomplish big things. It is relevant to the discussion of women leaders and the challenges women leaders face.

Oprah Winfrey: “You become what you believe” – another excerpt from a longer quote, but also serves to remind us that we should not allow our challenges to limit our potential or stand in our way. Our thoughts and mindset are powerful, and they help us to achieve success.

Maya Angelou: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud” – it speaks to support, advocacy, positive influence, empathy, all crucial elements of cultivating women leaders, women in tech, and overall leadership qualities.

Winston Churchill: “Failure is not fatal” – another excerpt. It speaks to never giving up, continuous effort, and hard work.

These are all sayings that provide reminder, encouragement, and reassurances that we, too, can be successful women leaders in technology. I am a real example of all the above, albeit still a work in progress, because as Churchill also said, “Success is not final.”

UC: What are your goals for the rest of 2023? What projects are you working on? Are there any events in the law firm or legal tech space we should know about?

KC: There are always activities in both realms: webinars, conferences, third party information sessions, law firm programming, and industry programming. I participate in both legal and non-legal technology events to keep abreast of technology developments in and outside of legal tech. Technologies outside of the legal vertical typically makes their way into the legal industry, so early learnings and transferrable opportunities are valuable to me as a technology leader.

My 2023 goals are plentiful and continuous, which means, even as new goals are added, these will remain as I strive to elevate year over year. Overall, they can be summarized as continuous learning, leveraging new and emerging technologies to drive operational efficiencies and optimize productivity, and leveraging innovative solutions to enable new business capabilities that contribute to differentiation and competitiveness.

UC: Where can we learn more about you and your work?

KC: I am on LinkedIn, and welcome opportunities to connect and learn. I digest incredible amounts of information reading articles and posts and through connections on that platform. 

Success Isn’t Final in the Stairway of Progress for the Legal Industry

As Karen spotlighted for us in her excellent responses, “success is not final,” as there is still considerable progress to be achieved in the legal industry when it comes to the use of technology and data in the legal business model and empowering women to succeed in and take on leadership roles. The legal industry is lucky to have champions like Karen and progress-oriented organizations like ILTA leading the charge into the future. 

We loved learning from Karen’s perspective, and we’re excited for what she’ll do next!

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