Richard Susskind has, for many years, been assessing technology's effect on the practice of law. The titles of his prior books are: The Future of Law, and Transforming the Law. His latest book is called The End of Lawyers? On the first page he explains that he writes “not to bury lawyers, but to investigate their future.” His believes that, in the future, conventional legal advisors will be less significant than today, as a result of two forces: (1) commoditization, and (2) information technology.
I am just starting this book, but already I can tell it's a sober examination of forces that many lawyers seem oblivious to (similar to other professions that have wound up roiled by new social forces). I highly recommend Susskind to anyone who really wants a glimpse of the future of the legal profession. And for those lawyers who dismiss the future Susskind describes as "a long way off," I offer the words of science fiction author William Gibson: “the future is already here. It's just not very evenly distributed.”
Incidentally, Mr. Susskind will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming ABA TechShow in Chicago, which takes place from April 2 – 4. Which is another good reason to sign up for TechShow.
P.S. If you're a practicing lawyer, check out this Law Practice Assessment . After answering a few questions, you'll get detailed recommendations for improving five key areas of your practice.
I agree with Dave!. I love authors that write about technology and how it will impact professionals and society and fail to insist that their books are released in an electronic format.
What, no Kindle version?! Grrr. Unevenly distributed, indeed.