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 book about where lawyers are going, and what use will be made of them when they get there. In that sense, the book warns, if the profession stubbornly ignores or resists these clear changes to the surrounding environment, then the end of lawyers could be, indeed, the end of lawyers.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, and it’s not what Richard Susskind is rooting for. He sees a radically transformed legal profession at the end of this process, and clearly hopes that this new profession can and will provide smarter, earlier and more effective legal guidance to a much broader range of clients. That’s an end of lawyers we should all be pulling for.
Meanwhile energetic new blawger and social networker Neil Denny speaks for the enlightened solicitor:
The choice is simple and it is ours. We either engage with the debate and make a contribution, or we will get left behind. What is clear though is that the drive to changes nothing short of reformation is already well advanced. The momentum and size of the vehicle is massive and it will not be stopped.
The ideas that seem to be energising the profession were first promulgated by Susskind in 1996. The only obvious comment is that the pace of change has not been as brisk as he earlier had imagined.
Huge changes have, however,already been made to the legal landscape, and inevitably there are more to come.
The challenge is to innovate and adapt. It was ever thus.
spot on Paul ! its the lawyers’ risk aversion and financial models that hold them back from doing the job properly and taking the steps that will achieve a real breakthrough . The partnership model , so prevalent in the profession,is a ball and chain . New structures are required to get the next phase of innovation and adaptation moving