NEW YORK, May 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As generative AI, shifting client expectations, hybrid work, and other factors reshape legal practice, a new book from PLI Press offers law firm leaders an innovative and human-centered way to understand and respond to the profound changes that are transforming their organizations.
Unprecedented: Designing a Human-Centered Law Firm When Everything Is Changing, authored by legal innovation leader Jennifer A. Leonard, explores how law firms can reinvent themselves amid rapid industry disruption. Told through the story of a fictional firm’s week-long retreat, the book brings to life the impact of generative AI on legal work, shifting client and workplace expectations, and outdated economic models, revealing the human realities of change and the courage required to design something better. Blending narrative with practical tools like reflection questions, frameworks, agendas, and exercises, Unprecedented offers an accessible blueprint for leaders and innovators who want to shape the future of legal practice rather than be shaped by it.
“Law firms are facing pressures unlike anything we’ve seen before, but the real story isn’t about technology or economics; it’s about people,” said author Jen Leonard. “Unprecedented is about creating space for honest reflection and a willingness to redesign the profession around what lawyers and clients need to do their best work.”
Following the fictional firm of McNamee, Weiss & Oh as its leaders strive to preserve their business in the face of disruptive industry forces, Unprecedented brings to life the human dynamics of organizational transformation. Characters grapple with fear, resistance, hope, and the difficult tradeoffs that accompany any attempt to rethink long-standing professional norms. Rather than offering prescriptive checklists, the book shows solutions emerging organically through debate, experimentation, and collaboration.
“Unprecedented aligns with PLI’s mission to equip legal professionals with the tools they need to thrive in an evolving environment,” said PLI President Sharon L. Crane. “By combining storytelling with actionable frameworks, this book offers a compelling and accessible way for law firms to understand the pressures reshaping the legal industry and to engage meaningfully with what comes next. We are pleased to offer a resource that meets this moment of profound change.”
For more information and to purchase your copy, visit PLI.edu.
About the Author
Jen Leonard founded Creative Lawyers to support law firms, corporate legal departments, and law schools that understand the urgency to modernize practice, services, and education. Jen works with leaders to cultivate innovative cultures, build nimble and collaborative strategies to navigate a volatile environment, and promote skills and mindsets that drive change.
She leads design thinking workshops, facilitates innovation challenges, delivers retreat keynotes, partners with leaders to provide ongoing strategic support, designs Generative AI content for application in law school curricula and professional development programs, and offers structured events that help lawyers reflect on their careers as they build the next stage in their journey. Before launching her company, Jen served as the first Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of the Future of the Profession Initiative at Penn Carey Law. She is also the Chair of PLI’s Innovation Council.
About Practising Law Institute
Founded in 1933, Practising Law Institute (PLI) is a nonprofit learning organization dedicated to keeping attorneys and other professionals at the forefront of knowledge and expertise. PLI provides accredited continuing legal and professional education programs delivered by more than 4,000 volunteer faculty, including top experts across practice areas. Additionally, PLI publishes a comprehensive library of treatises, course handbooks, answer books, and journals, also available through the PLI PLUS online platform and app. The essence of PLI’s mission is a commitment to the access to justice community. Based in New York, PLI also has an office and Conference Center in San Francisco. Visit www.pli.edu to learn more.
Contact:
Chloe Darrow, Infinite Global
+1 646 685 8074
chloe.darrow@infiniteglobal.com
