Feb

11

Reformation

Filed Under Future of law

Deep thought (as ever) from Jordan Furlong at Law21 on the future of lawyers a la Susskind. He concludes:
If we take another meaning of “end” ­– an outcome worked toward or an objective for which effort is expended, rather than the more popular meaning of “disappearance” — then we could say that this is a […]

By Nick Holmes, 11 February 2009

Jan

5

The future of lawyers

Filed Under Articles, Future of law

Published in the Internet for Lawyers & Law 2.0, January 2009.
In The End of Lawyers? (Oxford University Press) Richard Susskind challenges the legal profession to ask what elements of their current work could be undertaken more quickly, more cheaply, more efficiently or to a higher quality using new methods.
He makes his case firstly by mapping […]

By Nick Holmes, 5 January 2009

Dec

31

2009

Filed Under Outsourcing, Future of law

I usually leave it until the last minute to frame my “binary law” predictions for the year ahead. After all, a lot can happen in a month and it’s of course helpful to have the benefit of everyone else’s predictions first!
In the SCL IT & law predictions for 2009 (batch 1, batch 2, batch 3) […]

By Nick Holmes, 31 December 2008

Dec

30

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

Filed Under Future of law

I recently commented far too favourably on the the new Law Society Gazette site. There is no way to browse the archives which is frustrating. But to give the site some juice, the opinion sections in particular should be inviting our comments.
I’d have liked, for example, to respond to Clive Wismayer, Solicitor, Great Bookham, who […]

By Nick Holmes, 30 December 2008

Dec

12

What about clients?

Filed Under Future of law

In a series of recent posts, Jordan Furlong gives his slant on the arguments at the heart of Richard Susskind’s thesis:
Decoupling price from cost in legal services:
In order to turn a profit, firms will be forced to streamline their costs of production, whatever they might be.
The market doesn’t care
clients don’t care if you make money […]

By Nick Holmes, 12 December 2008

Dec

10

The future of lawyers

Filed Under Future of law

I have not yet found on the public access web anything approaching a review of Richard Susskind’s The End of Lawyers? (Oxford University Press). So I must conclude I’m one of the few who have actually read it from cover to cover. To say I’ve read it is a bit of an exaggeration; I confess […]

By Nick Holmes, 10 December 2008

Jul

14

A wake-up call to lawyers

Filed Under Articles, Future of law

Professor Richard Susskind is, as I write, no doubt completing the final draft of his forthcoming treatise, The End of Lawyers? to be published in June by Oxford University Press.
More than 12 years ago he wrote its predecessor, The Future of Law. Then only a few of us had awoken to the internet; only a […]

By Nick Holmes, 14 July 2008

Mar

4

The death of the high street practice?

Filed Under Future of law

John Bolch on Family Lore relates the sad tale of local (Kent)  firms who are shedding staff by the dozen due to the property slump. And following their conveyancing business may well be their whole business. Anecdotal evidence is that HIPs are as much to blame as the sub-prime crisis.
Who agrees? Who disagrees? Who cares? […]

By Nick Holmes, 4 March 2008

Nov

28

Susskind 2.0 digested (6)

Filed Under Future of law

In the last Times extract from The End of Lawyers? Richard Susskind answers his critics. There are those that argue that “computers cannot replace legal work. Full stop.” and others who believe that IT will have no or minimal effect on lawyers. To which the reply is:
Open-minded lawyers, and those who genuinely care about the […]

By Nick Holmes, 28 November 2007

Nov

20

Susskind 2.0 digested (5)

Filed Under Law publishing, Future of law

From the fifth Times extract from The End of Lawyers?
No-one who might be thought to be in the driving seat of the legal system [not law schools, nor legal academics, nor the professional bodies, nor the UK Government, nor the Law Commission] is thinking systematically, rigorously and in a sustained way about the long term […]

By Nick Holmes, 20 November 2007

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