ABSTRACT
Although the legal profession has undergone a process of deregulation and fragmentation in the last few years, until recently the tasks performed by its members had remained relatively static. The chapter will give students an insight into the rapid changes which are now impacting on, and in some cases transforming, legal practice and how it interacts with client needs and demands. It will use the example of a law firm in the 1980s and today to highlight some of the key impacts upon legal practice of the increasing use of digital technology. It will encourage students to explore these impacts and the opportunities and challenges which they create before concluding by considering how these will shape the lawyer of the future.
