A collaboration between ProSearch, the Cowen Group, and professionals from Fortune 500 companies has produced a guide designed to build future-ready teams within the legal industry. The white paper "Metaskills for the Future-Ready Team" addresses the critical metaskills for a rapidly changing world. This research paper—authored by business-of-law professionals in eDiscovery, legal operations, information governance, and beyond—addresses how to be future-ready. 

Part one discusses the impact of GenAI, identifies essential metaskill sets, and emphasizes assessing team capabilities to identify gaps and opportunities. 

Part two introduces a ranking exercise to evaluate metaskills and suggests a priority matrix called Got, Want, Need to determine present capability, future opportunity, and risk. 

Part three outlines using these assessments to create a strategic plan, highlighting the need to buy, build, or partner for crucial skills.

Key skills identified in the paper include data literacy, adaptability, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, creative thinking, teamwork, leadership, cultural intelligence, self-management, and lifelong learning. These skills enable professionals to thrive in dynamic environments and effectively solve problems.

Teams can then decide whether to buy, build, or partner to develop the necessary metaskills. Each approach—hiring new talent, reskilling existing employees, or partnering with external experts offers distinct advantages and challenges. The choice depends on the organization’s specific needs, resources, strategic goals, and desire to be truly future-ready.

The white paper is available for download. 

- Chris Egan