The Kiwiboss director believes that is adopting AI, privacy must be protected and biases managed
Last week, Kiwiboss director Julia Shallcrass, told NZ Lawyer how the COVID-19 pandemic changed her business. In the second part of this interview, the 2024 Elite Woman shares her thoughts on AI adoption, the importance of upskilling new leaders, and keeping up with legislative reforms.
The legal profession should focus more on upskilling new leaders to create thriving teams. Strong leadership and constructive feedback drive high performance, wellbeing, and retention. At KiwiBoss, we focus on equipping legal and professional leaders in everything from delegation to career development conversations.
Resilience and wellbeing also need to be a priority for everyone working in the legal system. Supporting people to maintain healthy boundaries, manage stress, and stay connected to purpose is essential if we want professionals to thrive – not just survive.
One of the biggest challenges right now is keeping up with constant legislative reform and compliance demands — especially for SMEs without specialist HR or in-house legal teams. Lawyers must simplify legal concepts into practical, actionable advice. This is particularly important in employment law, where even small mistakes can have significant consequences.
New technologies like AI are likely to influence how most businesses in New Zealand operate, including legal practices. While AI is likely to improve efficiency, we need to take care to ensure privacy and manage biases in automated systems.
In employment law, where decisions affect people’s livelihoods, we need to ensure processes like recruitment and restructuring are consistently fair, transparent and reasonable. Technology should support rather than replace human judgement.
I’m looking forward to seeing progress on employment law reform, especially a simpler Holidays Act. This would make a real difference for small businesses, as it would clarify entitlements and make compliance easier for employers.
Within KiwiBoss, I’m excited to continue supporting more leaders through our training — helping them grow their confidence, lead fairly, and build great teams. KiwiBoss’s Leader’s Guide to Performance Management course helps technical experts, including lawyers transition confidently into leadership roles. We continue to deliver employment law and leadership training in-house across New Zealand, making practical, plain-English guidance accessible to workplaces of all sizes.
