Tomorrow's Lawyers An Introduction to Your Future

by Susskind, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780199668069
• ISBN10: 019966806X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-03-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In his newest provocative and forward-looking volume on the legal profession, Richard Susskind-the best-selling author ofThe End of Lawyers?andThe Future of Law-predicts fundamental and irreversible changes in the world of law. What Susskind sees is eye-opening-a legal world of virtual courts, Internet-based global legal businesses, online document production, commoditized service, legal process outsourcing, and web-based simulated practice. Legal markets will be liberalized, with new jobs for lawyers and new employers too. Tomorrow's Lawyersis a definitive guide to this future--for young and aspiring lawyers, and for all who want to modernize our legal and justice systems. It introduces the new legal landscape and offers practical guidance for those who intend to build careers and businesses in law. Susskind identifies the key drivers of change, such as the economic downturn, and considers how these will shape the legal marketplace. He then sketches out the new legal landscape as he envisions it, highlighting the changing role of law firms-and in-house lawyers-and the coming of virtual hearings and online dispute resolution. He also suggests solutions to major concerns within the legal profession, such as diminishing public funding, and explores alternative roles for future lawyers in a world increasingly dominated by IT. And what are the prospects for aspiring lawyers? Susskind predicts what new jobs and new employers there will be, equipping prospective lawyers with penetrating questions to put to their current and future bosses. Tomorrow's Lawyersis an essential roadmap to the future of law for those who want to survive the rapidly changing legal landscape.

Author Biography

Richard Susskind OBE is an acclaimed author, speaker, and independent adviser to international professional firms and national governments. He is President of the Society for Computers and the Law IT Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice. He holds professorships at Oxford University, University College London, and elsewhere. His work has been translated into more than 10 languages, and he has been invited to speak in over 40 countries.

Table of Contents

Introduction
PART ONE: RADICAL CHANGES IN THE LEGAL MARKET
1. Three Drivers of Change
2. Strategies for Success
3. Commoditizing the Law
4. Working Differently
5. Disruptive Legal Technologies
PART TWO: THE NEW LANDSCAPE
6. The Future for Law Firms
7. The Shifting Role of In-House Lawyers
8. The Timing of the Changes
9. Access to Justice and Online Legal Services
10. Judges, IT, Virtual Courts, and ODR
PART THREE: PROSPECTS FOR YOUNG LAWYERS
11. New Jobs for Lawyers
12. Who Will Employ Young Lawyers?
13. Training Lawyers for What?
14. Replacing the Old Training Ground
15. Questions to Ask Employers
16. The Long-term