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Reviews
* 'This is an outstanding publication. Buy it. Read it. Think about it. s| Douglas Mill, Journal of the Law Society of Scotland d|2009' -

Description
* Follows on from the author's legal best-seller of 1996, The Future of Law , taking stock of the developments in legal practice in the past decade, and envisaging further radical changes in the decade to come
* Lays down fundamental challenges for the legal sector (including practising lawyers, courts, academics) - the book has far-reaching and profound consequences for all legal readers
* Clear analysis of the effect of advances in information technology upon the law and legal services, written in punchy non-technical language, it is accessible to a reader without particular knowledge of information technology or management trends, or to those without a legal background
* With a highly practical focus, the book offers viable and sensible solutions for change and action
* Written by a widely acknowledged expert, building on credible past work, whose predictions have proven to be sound - readers can be confident that they are reading an authoritative and reliable work
* Modular layout of the book enables readers to dip into the book and benefit from its insights

In this much anticipated sequel to the legal bestseller, The Future of Law, Susskind lays down a challenge to all lawyers to ask themselves, with their hands on their hearts, what elements of their current workload could be undertaken differently - more quickly, cheaply, efficiently, or to a higher quality - using alternative methods of working. The challenge for legal readers is to identify their distinctive skills and talents, the capabilities that they possess that cannot, crudely, be replaced by advanced systems or by less costly workers supported by technology or standard processes, or by lay people armed with online self-help tools.
It is argued that the market is increasingly unlikely to tolerate expensive lawyers for tasks (guiding, advising, drafting, researching, problem-solving, and more) that can equally or better be discharged, directly or indirectly, by smart systems and processes. It follows, the book claims, that the jobs of many traditional lawyers will be substantially eroded and often eliminated. This is where the legal profession will be taken, it is argued, by two forces: by a market pull towards commoditisation and by pervasive development and uptake of information technology. At the same time, the book foresees new law jobs emerging which may be highly rewarding, even if very different from those of today.

Readership: Legal practitioners and the judiciary, worldwide; legal policy-makers; consultants interested in the provision of legal services or the business and management of professional service firms; information technologists; academics and law students; reference libraries worldwide.