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05 May 2017 / Chris Chapman
Issue: 7744 / Categories: Features , Technology
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A new technological age

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Chris Chapman reviews the role of technology in shaping legal practice today & tomorrow

With technology developing at such a rapid pace, it is difficult to predict how it might shape the law and the role of practitioners in years to come. On the one hand we are sitting on the brink of an artificial intelligence (AI) and automation revolution that will take us into a new technological age in ways that will have huge implications for society at large, while on the other regulators are placing increased scrutiny on the regulatory and privacy risks caused by advances in technology. How this push and pull will play out is unknown but there is no doubt that technological advancements discussed below are already changing how law is practised and regulated and the nature of wrongdoing itself.

Criminally-efficient algorithms

What sounds like science-fiction is actually becoming science fact; computer programs committing crimes by inadvertently forming so-called digital price-fixing cartels.

Companies working in the travel, retail and hospitality industry have long relied on automated pricing systems to

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Specialist associate solicitor rejoins Muckle’s leading employment team

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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