Transacting Timeshare Business in this Hyper-Digital Age: A Legal Take Miller & Martin / Luke Smith

It is 2:54 p.m. on a Wednesday, I’m leading a Zoom conference, and my client is texting me thoughts about positioning. Simultaneously, an esteemed colleague is calling on Teams to huddle on another matter and — now 2:55 — the meeting reminder that I’d silenced ten minutes ago has reappeared as emails pelt the bottom right of my screen. One of which being a Teams voicemail soliciting an urgent response and another being a notification on LinkedIn that a former client wants to chat about legal services, which is also showing as a separate in-app notification on my iPhone. Speaking of which, I now have three missed calls and two voicemails on that device from a random Montana phone number. Is this a different client calling between runs on a ski trip? Why is she calling from a land line? Suddenly, a carrier pigeon crashes into my 20th floor window with a note: “AI Rules. Use it or lose it.”

Pardon the embellishment, but does this (less the carrier pigeon part) sound familiar or what? Whatever your role in our industry, the world continues to operate on an exponentially increasing hyperdrive. And if we don’t speed up, it’ll leave us behind. Or is it, if we don’t slow down (and focus on the task at hand), it’ll leave us behind. Or is it somehow both?

Technology has significantly changed the transaction of business and the practice of law in the 20 years in which I’ve been fortunate enough to serve as a legal advisor and service provider to some of our industry leaders. However, certain core principles such as the following remain constant: What does my client need? How can I provide the best service possible? And what tools can help deliver that service?

Delivering Value Through Technology Integration

In today’s competitive business environment, your legal team must be more than just advisors—we must be strategic partners who leverage technology to deliver exceptional value. Our success depends on our ability to perform under pressure while maintaining the personal touch that drives business relationships.

Our client base includes industry leaders who demand excellence: developers and brands navigating complex regulatory landscapes; finance companies papering sophisticated deals for their clients; lenders and borrowers structuring deals, and marketing teams serving all of the above. These clients don’t just need any old lawyer – they need a legal partner who understands the industry but can also harness tools to better serve.

Real-Time Collaboration

Digital transformation has revolutionized how we serve clients. Advanced video conferencing platforms enable seamless collaboration, allowing us to finalize deals regardless of geographic constraints. Cloud-based document sharing systems ensure that deal teams can review, edit, and execute agreements in real-time, reducing transaction timelines and enabling immediate document mark-ups.

Whether we’re structuring a management agreement for a resort development project or negotiating complex financing terms for an off-balance sheet acquisition, our technology infrastructure enables us to deliver responsive, high-quality service that matches the pace of your business operations. This technological foundation allows us to focus on strategic thinking rather than administrative tasks, ultimately providing greater value to your organization.

Artificial Intelligence: A Budding Tool Capable of Enhancing Legal Services

AI has the power to enhance legal capabilities, particularly in high-volume transactional work. In a matter of months, it seems the legal profession has pivoted from “AI is a no-no” to “now that our service providers have solved privacy concerns, we must become experts in responsibly and ethically integrating AI into our practices.” Why? AI-powered tools process vast amounts of data with unprecedented speed and accuracy, identifying contractual inconsistencies, highlighting critical clauses, and flagging potential risks that would otherwise require hours of manual review.

Still, technology is only as valuable as the expertise behind it and cannot make up for decades of human experience understanding complicated matters — such as why a Department of Finance or Real Estate Commission in a particular state reads the statutes to permit certain activities, but not others. Legal counsel must maintain rigorous oversight of AI-generated analysis, ensuring every recommendation meets exacting standards. This hybrid approach — combining technological efficiency with seasoned legal judgment — delivers superior outcomes while maintaining reliability. Of course, protecting sensitive client information remains a paramount requirement (and ethical mandate), and we carefully evaluate all technology platforms to ensure they meet the highest standards for legal confidentiality and security.

While AI excels at pattern recognition and data processing, it cannot replace the strategic thinking that drives successful business outcomes. Understanding reputational implications or evaluating operational impacts requires business acumen gained through years of industry experience. Our role extends beyond document review to strategic advisory services, helping clients navigate regulations, assess opportunities, and structure transactions aligned with long-term objectives

Continuous Innovation

Staying ahead in today’s legal landscape requires continuous learning and adaptation. Firms like Miller & Martin (and our several industry counterparts) are investing significant resources in emerging technologies, attending conferences, and participating in specialized training programs (we are literally training on a WEEKLY basis) to ensure our team remains at the forefront of legal innovation. This commitment to professional development directly benefits our clients through more efficient service delivery and strategic insights that drive business success.

The Foundation That Endures

Despite rapid technological change, the core principles of exceptional legal service remain constant: understanding client needs, delivering strategic value, and building lasting relationships. Technology amplifies these capabilities rather than replacing them. Our success is measured not by the sophistication of our tools, but by the business outcomes we help our clients achieve.

Whether we’re drafting complex joint venture agreements, advising on regulatory compliance, or structuring innovative financing solutions, our approach remains focused on practical business solutions. We combine deep industry knowledge with cutting-edge technology to deliver legal services that not only meet immediate needs but also position our clients for long-term success.

Mastering the Digital Paradox

So, back to that Wednesday afternoon chaos—the ping of notifications, the buzz of competing demands, the relentless pace of modern legal practice. The answer to whether we need to speed up or slow down isn’t either/or; it’s both, strategically applied.

We speed up through technology: AI processes contracts in minutes rather than hours, cloud platforms enable instant collaboration, and digital tools streamline routine tasks. But we slow down where it matters most: strategic thinking, in understanding nuanced client needs, and building deep relationships through battle scars.

That carrier pigeon’s message was right: “AI Rules. Use it or lose it.” But the complete picture is more nuanced. AI and technology rule when they’re wielded by experienced legal professionals who combine it with appropriate care and practical application. We leverage technology to eliminate the noise so we can focus on what matters: delivering exceptional legal service that drives our clients’ success. After all, even in an age of artificial intelligence, the most important intelligence remains distinctly human.