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Technology, the future & us

09 January 2015 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7635 / Categories: Opinion , Technology
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Roger Smith assesses the impact of technology on legal services

Over the past two years I have accumulated Apple products which have transformed my private and working life. My computer, laptop, tablet and phone allow me to go paperless; operate without a physical office from virtually anywhere in the world; even babysit through Skype my grandson in Switzerland.

If technology can transform my life then it seems inherently incredible that they will not do the same for legal services, even for users on low incomes. And that is the subject of research that I have recently undertaken funded by the Legal Education Foundation and available on its website: thef.org . There are three trends, in particular, to follow.

Private practice

Chris Grayling was apparently gobsmacked that a delegation of criminal legal aid practitioners contained members who did not use computers. It is surprising given their penetration into the back offices of law firms. They are now changing the very form of some types of practice. National brands like Co-op Legal Services and

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
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