ABA Journal

The New Normal

248 ABA Journal The New Normal articles.

The bad business of ignoring the justice gap

Roughly two-thirds of those eligible for legal aid in Massachusetts (read: people in extreme poverty) are turned away because there aren’t enough legal aid attorneys. Approximately 80 percent of all…

What happens to BigLaw when banks become software companies?

For the latest in the ongoing debate between those predicting disruption for law firms, and those who see a slower evolution, see the report (PDF) from Georgetown Law…

Richard Susskind Q&A: ‘The competition that kills you ... may not look like you’

In anticipation of author and legal consultant Richard Susskind’s visit to the U.S., he and Paul Lippe discussed the impetus behind Susskind’s new book (co-authored with his son, Daniel), The…

Profession at a crossroads: Will lawyers lead, follow or get out of the way?

In October, I wrote about Richard and Daniel Susskind’s new book, The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts.

The Susskinds will be…

10 ways to reform the civil justice system by changing the culture of the courts

Civil justice reform is on the march, and it is much needed. A survey (PDF) conducted on behalf of the National Center for State Courts in October echoes this…

Simplicity bias: Lessons for lawyers from industrial design

When I was a young lawyer, I was asked to draft an important brief for a major client. After days of research, I wrote my masterpiece (really a tome) that…

‘Grow’ your law school? The what, why and whether of Denver Law

While many law schools and law firms are successfully grappling with change, others are not. To better understand the what, why and whether of leading an institution forward, let’s look…

Will there be a ‘New Deal’ for the legal profession?

For those interested in the New Normal in law, there has been no more prolific or significant thinker in this field than Richard Susskind. Richard has long been the…

Volkswagen: Where were the lawyers?

With Volkswagen reeling from one of the worst corporate scandals of our time, let’s consider the same question asked of Enron and other similar debacles: Where were the lawyers?

According…

‘Prudent innovation’ at William Mitchell: Extending the reach of learning

In my last piece on Prudent Innovation, I suggested there were five schools of thought in response to the “disruption” taking place in law:

Denial. It’s…

‘Prudent innovation’ in law school—Colorado moves forward

Last month, I talked about Prudent Innovation for law firms. This week, I want to talk about Prudent Innovation in law schools.

The argument for Prudent Innovation is based…

Lawyers need to move beyond ‘access to justice’ to close the legal services gap

By many measures, lawyers’ “access to justice” initiatives are entirely ineffective:

• A study (PDF) from the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services found…

3 reasons firms are starting to embrace ‘prudent innovation’

Could most law firms deliver 20 percent more useful work at 20 percent less cost on a typical matter?

I think the answer is self-evidently “YES,” and we’re increasingly seeing…

Learn how to balance efficiency with your level of service—or miss opportunities

The field of operations management is focused on creating efficient and effective business operations. It recognizes that there are trade-offs that must be made between efficiency and service level (or…

How lawyers can embrace mistakes

Lawyers hate mistakes. They can be career-killers if you make them as an associate. Lawyers worry that clients will fire them or sue them if they make a mistake as…

Read more ...