What will tomorrow’s law firm look like and what role will technology play?

Richard Susskind, a prominent legal futurist, who has written extensively about the impact of technology on the legal profession outlines in the latest edition of his book "Tomorrow's Lawyer" his views on the future of law firms and the role that technology will play in shaping the legal industry. And it makes very interesting reading.

Challenges Predicted

Susskind predicts that law firms will face significant challenges in the coming years due to changing client expectations, increased competition, and technological disruption. He argues that law firms must adapt to these challenges by embracing new technologies, adopting more efficient business models, and rethinking their approach to legal service delivery.

Successful Law Firms

According to Susskind, the most successful law firms of the future will be those that are able to leverage technology to streamline their operations and deliver more cost-effective and innovative legal services. He envisions a future where law firms will use advanced analytics, machine learning, and other emerging technologies to automate routine legal tasks and provide clients with faster and more accurate legal advice.

The adoption of digital tools and other new technologies

Susskind also predicts that law firms will increasingly use online platforms and other digital tools to collaborate with clients and share information in real time. This will require law firms to be more transparent, client-focused, and responsive to changing client needs.

However, Susskind also acknowledges that the adoption of new technologies will bring significant challenges for law firms, particularly in terms of reskilling their staff and ensuring that they have the necessary expertise to leverage these new tools effectively. He emphasizes the importance of law firms investing in their staff training and development to ensure that they are able to adapt to the changing needs of the legal industry.

Developing new skills

He discusses the changing nature of legal practice and the need for lawyers to develop new skills and expertise to remain competitive. He also addresses the role of universities in preparing and training solicitors for the legal profession.

The role of universities

Susskind argues that universities must do more to prepare law students for the realities of legal practice in the 21st century. He suggests that law schools should focus less on traditional legal doctrine and more on the practical skills that lawyers will need in the future, such as project management, data analytics, and client relationship management. This means that law schools must be more responsive to the changing needs of the legal profession and must adapt their curricula accordingly.

Susskind also suggests that law schools should work more closely with law firms and other legal employers to ensure that their graduates are well-equipped to succeed in the legal industry. This could involve providing more opportunities for work placements and internships, as well as offering courses and training programs that are tailored to the needs of specific legal employers.

Additionally, Susskind argues that universities must embrace new technologies and teaching methods to improve the quality of legal education. This could involve incorporating online learning platforms and other digital tools into the curriculum, as well as using artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to enhance the learning experience for law students.

Overall, Susskind believes that universities have a critical role to play in preparing and training solicitors for the legal profession of the future. By adapting their curricula, working closely with legal employers, and embracing new technologies, law schools can ensure that their graduates are well-equipped to succeed in a rapidly changing legal landscape.

Ten new job titles

In his Richard Susskind predicts that the changing legal landscape will lead to the emergence of several new job titles in the legal industry:

1. Legal knowledge engineer - Someone who designs and builds computer systems that can help automate legal processes and decision-making.
   
   
2. Legal project manager - Someone who manages legal projects from start to finish, ensuring that they are completed on time and within budget.
   
   
3. Legal risk manager - Someone who identifies, assesses, and manages legal risks associated with a company's activities.
   
   
4. Legal process analyst - Someone who analyses legal processes and workflows to identify opportunities for improvement and automation.
   
   
5. Legal data analyst - Someone who analyses legal data to identify patterns, trends, and insights that can inform legal decision-making.
   
   
6. Legal knowledge analyst - Someone who analyses legal information and data to identify legal issues and provide advice to clients.
   
   
7. Legal technologist - Someone who develops and implements new technologies and software systems for use in the legal industry.
   
   
8. Legal informatics specialist - Someone who combines legal knowledge with expertise in computer science and information technology to develop new tools and systems for legal research and analysis.
   
   
9. Legal designer - Someone who applies design thinking principles to legal processes and systems, with the goal of improving the user experience and making legal services more accessible and user-friendly.
   
   
10. Legal process outsourcer - Someone who provides legal process outsourcing services to law firms and corporate legal departments, including document review, contract analysis, and other legal tasks.

These job titles reflect the changing nature of legal practice and the growing role of technology in the legal industry. As legal services become more automated and data-driven, new roles and responsibilities will emerge, requiring a new set of skills and expertise. By embracing these changes and developing new skills, lawyers can position themselves for success in the years to come.

In summary

Overall, Susskind's views on the future of law firms emphasize the importance of embracing new technologies and business models in order to remain competitive and deliver value to clients. By adopting a client-centric approach and developing new ways of working that leverage technology, he believes law firms can position themselves for success in a rapidly changing legal landscape.

Our views

Working with some of the most high-tech law firms in the industry, we are at the centre of this debate and our respect for Professor Richard Susskind OBE is high, Many of my colleagues and I agree with much of what Susskind is saying. We are seeing evidence, amongst the most forward-thinking law firms, that Susskind’s thinking is already coming true, as it has many times before throughout his almost four decades of being a legal tech author. It seems ludicrous now to think that Susskind was threatened with a speaking ban and accused of bringing the legal profession into disrepute for predicting that lawyers would use email as their main communication method in the future.

Whilst we noticed Susskind’s latest book did not discuss the game-changing advent of Chat GPT, three days after it was published (10-2-23) the author did tweet “I keep getting asked if I discuss ChatGPT in the new (3rd) edition of Tomorrow's Lawyers. I do talk about GPT-3 but the chat version came out after the final manuscript went in. For now ... Chat-GPT is the most remarkable system I've seen in more than 40 years of working on AI.”

Access Legal

If you are a law firm leader or tech legal in the legal profession and you are looking for a business partner to work with you on managing your law firm digital transformation, Access Legal is one of the best contenders. Part of the Access Group, founded in 1991 and now employs over 6000 people and provides software to 75,000 customers across multiple sectors. Access Legal is the legal software partner of choice for legal case management software and legal practice management software for almost 4000 law firms in England and Wales.

An Access Legal brochure is available for further reading, but please feel free to reach out for a conversation with us, or request a legal software demo today.