Review by Mitch Kowalski, Bencher Candidate 2015 – Legal Services Consultant, Lawyer and 2012 Fastcase 50 Global Legal Innovator.

The title is not click-bate. Tomorrow’s Naked Lawyer really is the title of Chrissie Lightfoot’s new book. It’s a sequel to the 2010 best-seller published by the U.K. lawyer, entrepreneur, legal futurist and inspirational speaker, The Naked Lawyer.

She likes to have fun with her writing. Readers who have an adult sense of humour and a willingness to throw out conventional legal writing will definitely enjoy it. It is quite unlike anything I have ever read about the legal industry – or any other industry for that matter.

To backtrack, in The Naked Lawyer, Lightfoot gives guidance on transitioning from a traditional lawyer to an entrepreneurial lawyer of the “truly naked kind” by striving, among other things, to be an extraordinary rainmaker by thinking of “extraordinary sex.” Yes, she does say that. The references to sex continue throughout Tomorrow’s Naked Lawyer such that readers are regaled on the opportunities for sex robots, suggesting that the same opportunities apply to robot lawyers. Natch.

Chrissie gives a good overview of the changing dynamics in the legal services industry and how they can and will impact lawyers. However, she is at her strongest when she weaves artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and entrepreneurism with those dynamics, along with the skills needed to brand, market and rain-make in these disruptive times.

Social media strategy is clearly her forté and her advice on the use of this medium is at the core of her message. She says lawyers of the 21st century need to be sociable and intimate with their clients, or in Naked Lawyer parlance, “XXX – KISS”. The triple-x refers to the three kisses: “Keep it Sexily Serendipitous,” “Keep it Salubriously Serene” and Keep It Socially Savvy.”

The next big thing in social is resonance, according to Lightfoot. “It’s going to be about context, deep personalization, relevance, resonance, vibe tribes, vibe communities and vibrational intelligence.” Business-to-business and business-to-consumer, or B2B and B2C, will be replaced with H2H (human to human) and H2R (human to robot).  She is obviously intrigued by the ability of AI to dramatically affect business development and client relationships, and she has made bold, provocative steps into those impacts, something that no one else is writing about today.

Tomorrow’s Naked Lawyer is what Hunter S. Thompson might have written if he had any interest in the legal profession. It’s a rollicking fun and slightly naughty read, peppered with thought-provoking counsel.

Review originally posted 3 March 2015 in Financial Post, Legal Post section.