The legal profession is evolving just like any other profession.  Covid-19 has forced many lawyers into working from home and relying on technology in a way they never have before.  Zoom and Teams have now become the medium of conversation rather than the telephone and face to face meetings.

The prediction however is that tech will go further and that law will become commoditised and that Artificial Intelligence will take over from people.

There are market forces at work that mean technology will continue to change the way legal services are delivered, and in some cases will deliver those services better than they are delivered now.  The real question to answer is not will tech change the legal profession but instead, will that tech replace people completely?  

The days of lawyers being held in such a lofty position that they are immune to technological advances are long gone.  However, law is still a relationship business and people don't just want an answer from a machine.  If 'Lockdown 1' and now 'Lockdown 2' have taught us anything, it's that whilst we can all communicate and work remotely the tech that allows us to do this is not always an adequate replacement for being in a room together.  I would argue the same goes for the future of tech in the legal profession.  Yes, it will change how we deliver services, yes it will commoditise some areas of law and yes lawyers need to recognise they will have to adapt, but no it won't replace people completely.

This is particularly true for a values driven law firm like Anthony Collins.  Many of the organisations and people we help come to us because they value not just our undoubted technical expertise but also the passion, pride and purpose with which we apply ourselves to our various disciplines.  You don't get that from a machine!