Change in the legal industry can happen quickly.  A change in laws, attitudes and cultural climate can throw inflexible attorneys off balance making them less effective.  This is why law firms and others prefer to work with attorneys who can bend like palm trees and avoid those who are stiff like oaks.  Let’s take a look at few of the top reasons why inflexible attorney simply don’t get hired:

1. Inflexible attorneys usually can’t see change coming. They are so focused on the present moment and the status quo that they don’t consider looking down the road to see how the industry may be transforming. For law firms that want to survive in a rapidly changing world such attitudes are dangerous.
2. Inflexible attorneys often fail to adapt to obvious changes because they are in denial.  This denial can place the attorney and the firm for which they work at a serious disadvantage.
3. Inflexible attorneys often fail to make improvements that will better position them in their field. Those attorneys who fail to improve their skills, knowledge and even industry contacts can become a personal liability to any law firm looking to grow and compete effectively.
4. Inflexible attorneys can become a barrier to changes that take place in the company.  Because inflexible attorneys aren’t welcoming to change, they may eventually become resistant to progressive changes at the company. Even if an attorney is skilled and competent in other aspects, this resistance to change can create resource draining conflicts in the workplace.