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 that several sections I have only skim-read; there is a lot of detail which certainly needs digesting but which can safely be left to a second reading.
Excellent review, Nick. I haven’t read the book yet — it’s on my Christmas list, but may not be available in Canada by 12/25 — but I had the pleasure of hearing Richard speak in Montreal several weeks ago, where he laid out his thesis. TEOL? is going to cement his reputation as the legal profession’s most important thought leader.
Many thanks for the links in your subsequent post!
Thanks for the review, Nick.
I’d say that Richard’s work is aimed at the big firms because they’re a large captive audience with a lot to lose if they don’t change as he’s suggesting. They’re stuck in big buildings with enormous overhead which, in fairness, tends to be required by many clients, rules, regulations etc that are themselves pretty inflexible. Big ships turn slowly and will absorb lots of books by Richard and consultancy fees in the process.
“Streamlined firms”, as Richard calls them, like Keystone Law and Axiom, have been around for over 6 years now (I’ve worked with both). They’re growing very nicely, not merely by using the sorts of building blocks that Richard describes (not terribly insightfully, it has to be said) but, most importantly, by delivering on a commitment to enabling both practitioners and clients to work as they wish to on a case by case basis.
Best
SDJ