It’s no secret that the legal profession has been undergoing a paradigm shift. Factors such as the Global Financial Crisis, the advancement of technology and the growing number of law students have led to the streamlining of many law firms, the automation of many tasks and fierce competition between a larger pool of lawyers for a smaller range of roles. What are the implications? What will the legal profession look like in fifty years?
Below are five ways in which the legal profession is expected to change over the coming years.
1. New Technology
As explored in Tuesday’s article, the evolution of technology is yielding both benefits and challenges for the legal profession. However, many experts believe what we have seen thus far will pale in comparison to the technological changes the legal profession will need to embrace in the coming years.
In his 2013 book Tomorrow’s Lawyers, UK-based legal futurology expert Richard Susskind cites a prediction made by the founder of Intel (referred to as Moore’s Law):
“If we can see the day in which the average desktop machine has more processing power than all of humanity combined,” he wrote, “then it might be time for lawyers to rethink some of their working practices.” In short, the future of legal practice is set to be much more automated.
2. Multigenerational Workforce
Due to increased professional demands, extended retirement ages, and prolonged lifespans, Australia is currently experiencing a heretofore unforseen phenomenon: four generations working together in one workplace. With Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y all crammed into one professional space, many law firms are managing a generation gap of more than 50 years. While such a diverse expanse of employment poses a number of technological, social and cultural challenges the generation gap is only likely to increase. A plethora of influential factors – such as the extension of the retirement age to 70, the impending retirement of the prolific Baby Boomers, and the ever-swelling number of law graduates – will ensure that the legal profession of the future will be more diverse and multigenerational than ever.
3. Globalisation
In few places has the impact of globalisation been as significant as in the legal profession. While protectionist measures enforced by professional legal bodies can limit the countries in which one can practice, many law firms are still expanding internationally – usually via mergers and partnerships. The merger of King & Wood Mallesons and SJ Berwin has united firms across the UK, Europe, China and Australia, while Linklaters is running holiday work placement schemes for Australian and Indian students interested in working in the UK. At the other end of the market, firms such as Allen & Overy have procured legal process outsourcing services in Mumbai, which allow much of their basic litigation document review to be completed offshore for a fraction of the price.
With globalisation trends likely to continue over the coming years, legal practitioners in Australia will be faced with both opportunities and challenges. The chance for Australian lawyers to work overseas will continue to grow, however many legal professionals who depend on increasingly outsourced work may find themselves outgunned by cheaper international providers.
4. Work/Life Balance
With law firms and legal departments demanding more work from fewer workers, many legal professionals have needed to relinquish aspects of their personal lives to get the job done. In response, beleaguered employees have pushed for a greater work/life balance, and an increasing number of law firms have begun to implement policies such as phased retirement, compressed schedules, telecommuting, temporary leave, flex-time, part-time work and other alternative work arrangements. Such trends are likely to ensure that legal practitioners of the future will be given more work/life flexibility in recognition of their hefty workloads.
5. Women in Law
According to a report issued by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, women comprised 46 percent of lawyers practising in Australia as of 2013. The report also revealed that while only 11 percent of law graduates in the 1960s were women, the majority of all Australian law graduates have been women since the 1990s. Despite these advancements, the landscape of Australian law still lacks an equitable number of females in senior roles. However, as many social issues relating to gender stereotypes and family structures are addressed, the next 50 years are likely to see a steady tipping of the scales.
With the number of stay-at-home dads doubling in Australia over the past decade, it is increasingly likely that the demands of raising a family will not fall automatically to the woman. This will allow many more female legal professionals to continue with their careers rather than taking time off to bear children – however for gender balance to truly be obtained in the legal workplace, we as a profession will need to address a range of issues beyo