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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

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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