Sharing expert insights on how and why the profession of law is changing in fundamental ways and how it will impact lawyers, the authors of this thought-provoking 20-chapter book will advance and sharpen the dialogue within the bar about accelerating disruption of the legal services marketplace, and how best to adapt. The collected wisdom and legal expertise in this book will help individual lawyers, law firms, law students, and bar associations better visualize and plan for their own futures in the law. The Relevant Lawyer: Reimagining the Future of the Legal Professionrepresents the vision and commitment of the ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism, deriving from and supporting their vital purpose of preserving, protecting, and advancing the highest ideals of the legal profession.
As many chapters underscore, for the legal profession to endure as a profession, and all that term represents, lawyer professionalism must endure as well. The lawyer’s commitment to public service and the justice system, and in particular access to justice, will be paramount in an era when so many citizens are legally underserved. The formation of a lawyer’s professional identity will be indispensable if young lawyers are to develop the resilience and independent judgment they need to succeed in a change environment as professionals committed to serving clients, the cause of justice, and the public interest.
The Relevant Lawyer examines the rapidly evolving legal services environment that all lawyers must navigate. A central tenet of this book is that successfully navigating the profession’s future requires close consideration today of those dynamic forces and trends that are shaping a very different law practice landscape. It is a collection of independent voices connected by an abiding concern about the future path of a great profession.
Because not all chapter authors share the same vision of the future, The Relevant Lawyer offers more than a single perspective or limited roadmap of the future; the objective is that this singular publication will promote dialogue and engagement on the future of the profession. Each chapter focuses on one issue, development, trend, or practice setting relevant to the larger discussion of change in the legal profession. The 20 chapters organized in five overarching categories: Transformation, Equity, Practice Settings, Regulation, and Development.