(advanced) future of law at thompson rivers university
TRANSCRIPT
Omar Ha-‐Redeye Faculty of Law,
Thompson Rivers University March 3, 2015
Back… to the Future
Tensions Between Lawyers and Firms
• Millennials (and others) increasingly want flexibility – Increased emphasis on personal/family life – SkepPcism about long-‐term prospects – Unwilling to blindly plow ahead
• Firms are unwilling to provide it – Structure entrenched in historic paQerns – PercepPon of younger lawyers as simply being lazy – “Mass reserves of the unemployed”
Lawyers Are Choosing AlternaPves
• Next generaPon of solo lawyers are not ending up small/solo due to lack of opportuniPes
• They are creaPng own opportuniPes to hold on to their passions and maintain control over their lives
• This can be frustraPng and an uphill baQle, but at the same Pme it’s incredibly rewarding
Blacksmiths in the Time of the Automobile
hQp://www.siemens.com/innovaPon/en/home/pictures-‐of-‐the-‐future/industry-‐and-‐automaPon/digital-‐factories-‐personalized-‐workstaPons.html?stc=wwcg100118
AlternaPve Business Structures (ABS)
• Would allow for non-‐lawyer ownership • Could provide desperately needed cash-‐infusion
• QuesPons about professionalism and duty to the court
• Concerns over poaching or piece-‐mealing law – Focus area: personal injury
Trickle-‐Down
ABS+
• University of OQawa Faculty of Law Prof. David Wiseman in Law Times (March 2, 2015) – ABS may make dispariPes in access to legal services worse
• Other opPons: – differenPal licensing-‐fee structure • incenPve for those servicing low-‐income people
– seed capital fund for access to jusPce iniPaPves
It’s not Just Lawyers Anymore…
• Major shockwave in Ontario is regulaPon of licensed paralegals – Existence of 1-‐year accelerated programs – Many already have university degrees, work experience (ogen more than lawyers)
– 5 year review in 2012 • What does this mean for lawyers?
It’s not Just Canadian (trained) Lawyers Anymore
• Huge influx of lawyers trained in other jurisdicPons
• Many of these (increasingly the majority) are Canadians who could not get into Canadian law schools
• Not enough demand for legal services for all of these lawyers – Not enough arPcling posiPons for all these lawyers
The Law PracPce Program (LPP)
Why InnovaPon is the Future
• Law firms who conPnue to do things the way they have will eventually be unprofitable
• Lawyers who pursue tradiPonal legal jobs will increasingly discover they are dead-‐ends
• The technology, including communicaPons over the Internet, allow for all of us to collaborate and brainstorm soluPons beQer – This is what we are doing right now!!!
ImplicaPons for Current Law Students
• Think about your goals, values, ambiPons in life now – Don’t forget your personal life
• IdenPfy all of the obstacles from achieving this – Include realisPc understanding of the profession and its demands
• Figure out how you are going to get there in an uncertain market – Start to develop the soluPons before you become a lawyer
We Need to Keep the ConversaPon Going
• @OmarHaRedeye
• ca.linkedin.com/TorontoLawyer
• hQps://www.facebook.com/TO.Lawyer