How to Introduce Change Management — and Get People on Board

Learn how to use the ADKAR model to effectively prepare and guide your firm through change.

By Dawn Anderson, CLM, JD, PHR, SPHR

October 2025

Many law firms have been willing to invest in new technologies such as artificial intelligence and electronic practice management systems. But with that technology adoption comes a crucial element that some firms ignore — change management.

Although medium-to-large law firms allocate approximately 5-7% of their budget to technology, on average, only 30% of attorneys effectively utilize available technology while 76% find workarounds that enable them to continue working in their traditional mode, negating the return on investment for the technology and, in some cases, placing the firm at risk.

Over the years, many models of change management have emerged. In 2006, Jeff Hiatt introduced the ADKAR model as an effective structure to build a change management strategy, focusing on five steps: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement. This method reduces frustration and broken processes when implementing change, whether the change be in technology, structure, policy or client guidelines.

Awareness

To begin to effect change, you must first make the target audience aware they need to change. Translated into practical application, one of your first steps is to develop and implement a solid communication plan. When developing your strategy, first think about your various audiences — it is rarely enough to simply tailor one message and send out an email.

Evaluate the organization and identify your goals: What do you want to accomplish with this change? It is important to scope out what is and is not included in the change, who will be affected and who will not. Some factors that may come into play are role within the firm, tenure, office size and geography. How will this change affect the attorneys and the support staff? Modify your communication based on the audience. Let them know about the impending change and spend time explaining why the change is necessary.

When developing your strategy, first think about your various audiences — it is rarely enough to simply tailor one message and send out an email.

Desire

Creating awareness leads into the second phase: desire. You must create within the individual the desire to change.

Determine potential gains and losses resulting from the change. To effectively do this, you must understand the current state of each affected group. Invest time in learning current processes, observe how the groups operate and find out what might benefit them. The takeaway becomes the core of your messaging to create a desire to change. Be ready to explain the “why” of the change. Will it make their jobs easier? Will it reduce risk to the firm?

As you craft messages appropriate for your audiences, consider individuals within the organization you can leverage to help overcome resistance and encourage adherence. Most organizations have within their ranks individuals who fall into one of these categories: champions, influencers and resistors. Each role has a particular value during a change implementation.

Champions: Champions should be tasked to message the change in a positive light that accentuates the advantages for the firm.
Influencers: Influencers do not rely on titles or official roles — they are simply viewed internally as a guide or barometer of change. If possible, include them in your pilots as you finalize the change prior to implementation.
Resistors: Resistors are the individuals who you predict will be most opposed to the change. Although counterintuitive, the resistors can be a helpful resource in your change management planning and process. Early in the process, make time to meet with them individually, walk them through the change and, whenever possible, let them be among the first to try it out.

Your firm may face additional sources of resistance stemming from the organization itself.

Change Fatigue: Change fatigue occurs when an organization has already completed significant change processes recently. To overcome or prevent change fatigue and maintain a level of stability, organizations should stagger change processes whenever possible.
Inadequate Resources: Adequate resources such as sufficient time, staff and training are critical. To successfully implement change, the individuals must be allowed time to learn new methods and receive effective training.
Inertia: Inertia is resistance to change by the organization. While a reasonable level of inertia lends itself to stability and consistency, holding on to outdated ideas and processes is counterproductive and can create risks for the organization.

Knowledge

After the target is aware that a change is needed, and has a desire to change, your next step is to help them understand what that change entails. Create a training strategy tailored for each audience based on their actual needs. To fully engage the participants, they must see the relevance to their work or personal life. Examples help the learner relate the materials with applications within their own experience, and interactive participation aids the learning process.

To fully engage the participants, they must see the relevance to their work or personal life.

Ability

Beyond knowing about the change, to effect lasting change, the audience must develop the ability to make the change successfully. Take time to explain why the training is important, when they would use the new skill and the expected outcome. Next, demonstrate the entire process as they observe. Allow them to try the new process themselves while a trainer offers guidance and hints as needed. Finally, enable them to continue using the process by giving them opportunities to teach others or by providing reference sheets and other tools to help the new knowledge stick.

Retention

The last step is one that is often overlooked and undervalued: creating a retention strategy. To create a lasting and sustainable change, you must purposefully plan tactics to encourage or, in some cases, enforce compliance. You replace a habit whenever you introduce change, and research shows that change managers who plan reinforcement in their project plan are 12% more likely to achieve their desired results. Providing ongoing support beyond the initial rollout is important.

One key reason plans fail to stick is a misalignment of incentives. The potential impact of AI presents a conundrum that must be solved under the traditional billing model. Attorneys may question why it is necessary to become more efficient by using AI to handle low level work when it reduces the amount of billable time on that project. As change managers, we must demonstrate how the more efficient model will benefit the attorney by providing more opportunities for substantive work while also working with billing and pricing experts to evaluate how we value and market our services.

The Overall Benefit of the ADKAR Method

Change management is one of the most important roles we play as law firm administrators. There are tools, tactics and techniques that you can employ to make your change management successful. The ADKAR method provides you with the basic framework to plan and execute your strategy, but it is your responsibility to put the work in advance of implementation to plan your change management strategy and to execute without skipping or slighting any of the steps.

Ignoring change management puts the strategy and firm at risk. With so much of our budget, time and resources tied up in innovative processes, can we really afford to place our change initiatives at risk in a rapidly evolving legal landscape?

Learn More About Leading Change Management

Check out ALA’s podcast Legal Management Talk, where Dave Collins, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oak + Reeds, discusses how to meet people where they’re at when introducing change so you can maximize buy-in. Tune in today!

About the Author

Dawn Anderson, CLM, JD, PHR, SPHR

Chief Human Resources Officer
Butler Snow

Dawn Anderson, CLM, JD, PHR, SPHR, is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Butler Snow, a national law firm that offers a full range of business law and litigation services. After 20+ years of leadership at large corporations, she embarked on overhauling the human resources function in the legal industry into a strategic role. As a licensed attorney with a corporate background, she brings a unique combination of experience and perspective and is passionate about developing people by leveraging talent, creating accountability and building resources to deliver long-term results for an organization. Anderson is a member of the Atlanta chapter, and her certifications include lean six sigma, Strategic Human Resources Profession, Certified Legal Manager, Organizational Development and Design, and most recently, Mental Health First Aid.