The 5 Stages of Techno Grief

Nicole Black has posted a great article analogizing lawyers adopting technology to the five stages of grief. As Nicole explains:

In many ways, the legal profession’s response to technology, and online technologies in particular, can be likened to Kübler- Ross’s five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance.

The legal profession’s reaction to technology follows a similar path: denial, defiance, desperation, deployment, and then, at long last, dedication.

A few trailblazers, mostly solos and small firms, have worked through the process and are now reaping the benefits of technology and all that it has to offer. Unfor- tunately, the vast majority of the profession is currently stuck in the middle of the process.

The sad part is that she is absolutely right. I see attorneys who constantly do everything they can to avoid adopting technology. I love how Nicole describes the denial stage:

Until very recently, the majority of the legal profession was blissfully clueless about Internet technologies, their collective heads buried in the sand. Most attorneys seemed to think the Internet was a passing trend, and if they ignored it, it would eventually disappear.

Go here to read the rest of her spot on analysis. Although I think the acceptance phase may be just a little farther off than Nicole anticipates.