Hey there Legal Rebels! 👋 I’m excited to share with you the 57th episode of the LawDroid Manifesto podcast, where I will be continuing to interview key legal innovators to learn how they do what they do. I think you’re going to enjoy this one!
If you want to understand how to guide law firms through technological transformation while maintaining a positive mindset in the face of rapid change, you need to listen to this episode. Tara is at the forefront of legal innovation consulting and brings a uniquely optimistic yet pragmatic perspective to helping firms navigate AI adoption and strategic transformation.
Transforming Law Firms Through Strategic Innovation and Continuous Learning
Join me as I interview Tara Waters, founder of TLW Consulting and author of Innovation Esquire.
In this insightful podcast episode, Tara shares her unconventional journey from dot-com consultancy through law to becoming a leading voice in legal innovation. She dives deep into how she’s helping SME and large law firms navigate the challenges of AI adoption and technological transformation. Tara demonstrates how her philosophy of continuous learning and her work with both law firms and legal tech companies positions her to provide clarity to organizations struggling to keep pace with rapid change.
Her stories and insights underscore her practical approach to innovation implementation, including her observations that law firms are finally seeing technological change as genuine opportunity rather than threat. This episode is a must-watch for anyone curious about the intersection of legal practice and innovation strategy, offering valuable perspectives on how to approach transformation with positivity and purpose.
The Skinny
Tara Waters, founder of TLW Consulting and author of Innovation Esquire, shares her remarkable journey from studying philosophy and international relations in Canada to working at a dot-com consultancy in the early 2000s, then pivoting to law school in London where she’s been based for over 16 years. With a uniquely holistic approach to work and life, Tara demonstrates how she’s helping law firms across the UK and beyond navigate the complexities of AI adoption and strategic transformation. Throughout the conversation, Tara emphasizes that despite the rapid pace of change over the past three years, we’re still in very early days of legal AI adoption, and the current mood among law firms is surprisingly positive—seeing opportunity rather than threat. Her infectious enthusiasm for learning, combined with her deep expertise in innovation implementation, positions her as a “clarity catalyst” who helps firms cut through the noise to find actionable paths forward during times of unprecedented change.
Key Takeaways:
Tara’s approach to consulting comes from hands-on experience as an early mover in AI implementation within law firms, giving her practical insights to share with clients
Her career path began in a dot-com consultancy in 2000, where she learned that work and personal life are not separate but one holistic life
After the dot-com bust, she pivoted to law school in London and has been UK-based for over 16 years
Tara works primarily with SME to large commercial law firms, helping them with strategic advisory and hands-on implementation work
The current mood in UK law firms is surprisingly positive, with leaders seeing AI and technological change as genuine opportunity rather than threat
Law firms are experiencing FOMO around AI adoption but still don’t know exactly the right path forward, leading to restructuring of innovation teams and creation of new roles
Despite feeling like we’ve jumped light years ahead in three years, we’re still in very early days of legal AI adoption
Tara identifies as an “insufferable learn-it-all” whose number one personality trait is loving to learn and share knowledge with others
She believes there’s no such thing as work-life balance—only one life where activities feed different aspects of your personality
Her purpose is to help people find clarity, reframe their thinking, and have meaningful impact through legal innovation
Notable Quotes:
“I definitely don’t think I’m seeing or hearing a lot of panic. I think there’s been some interesting trends that I’ve been observing and been part of over the past few years.” - Tara Waters (03:31-03:40)
“I think what we’re finally seeing are lawyers and law firms and partners and law firm leaders seeing the opportunity that all of the change, especially the technology change that’s happening, as being genuinely an opportunity for them, but still nonetheless, not necessarily knowing exactly the right path to take to get advantage, to take advantage of these opportunities.” - Tara Waters (04:21-04:39)
“I think at the end of the day, I always hasten to tell everyone I talk to, we are still very early days. I know it feels like we’ve jumped light years ahead in the past three or so years, but actually it’s still very early days.” - Tara Waters (06:32-06:43)
“There is no such thing as your work life and your personal life as two separate things. You just have one life. So anything that happens on one side or the other will always influence. And so I’ve always taken a holistic view of my life.” - Tara Waters (47:43-47:58)
“I am an insufferable learn-it-all. I’m always taking courses, doing things, trying to stay up on what’s happening. So I devote a lot of time and an inordinate amount of time to what are probably much more work-related things, but it’s also because I’ve done the personality test. I was like, that is my number one personality trait, which is I love learning.” - Tara Waters (48:15-48:36)
“I don’t believe that a person can have it all. I don’t believe a person can find perfect balance, but I think what you can find are the activities that actually feed all of those aspects of your personality.” - Tara Waters (49:01-49:13)
“My favorite moments are when I help someone understand something or find some clarity or reframe the way they think, or just give them some really, really great advice that they say, oh, I hadn’t thought of it that way, but actually that’s really good. Those are the things that make me feel like I have actual purpose here.” - Tara Waters (49:40-50:09)
“I’ve always, though, wanted to have an impact on the world in some way and in a meaningful way. So if this is the channel through which I’m going to do that, that’s great. If there are future channels that I can do that, I’m probably going to pursue them until my last breath.” - Tara Waters (50:28-50:43)
Clips
There Is No "Work-Life” Balance
Why I Called It "Digital”, Not “Innovation”
Why Impact Matters More Than Fame
We're Still Very Early Days
Tara’s journey reflects the evolution of professional services consulting itself—from the wild optimism of the dot-com era through the financial crisis to today’s AI transformation. Her perspective combines the strategic thinking of a trained lawyer with the change management expertise of someone who’s lived through multiple technological revolutions. This unique combination allows her to approach legal innovation pragmatically while maintaining the optimism and learning orientation needed to guide others through uncertainty.
What stands out most is Tara’s emphasis on helping law firms see opportunity in disruption. By working as both a strategic advisor and hands-on implementer, she’s able to bridge the gap between high-level vision and practical execution—exactly what law firms need as they navigate the complexities of AI adoption and organizational transformation.
Closing Thoughts
As a legal tech entrepreneur who’s been navigating this space for years, I find Tara’s perspective both refreshing and necessary. She represents a new breed of legal innovation consultant, someone who combines deep practical experience with an insatiable appetite for learning and a genuine commitment to helping others find clarity in chaos.
What excites me most about this conversation is Tara’s infectious optimism. In an industry that often defaults to caution and risk aversion, her ability to help law firms see opportunity in technological disruption is invaluable. The fact that UK law firms are approaching AI with curiosity rather than panic speaks to the impact that thought leaders like Tara are having on the profession.
For our Legal Rebels community, Tara’s story serves as both inspiration and practical guidance. You don’t need to have everything figured out to make progress—in fact, Tara openly acknowledges we’re still in very early days. What matters is maintaining that learning orientation, helping others find clarity, and approaching transformation with purpose rather than fear.
As legal technology continues to evolve at breakneck speed, those who approach it with Tara’s combination of strategic vision, hands-on experience, and relentless commitment to learning will be best positioned to guide the profession forward. The future of legal services belongs to those who can help others navigate complexity while keeping sight of the genuine opportunities hidden in disruption.
