Sink or Swim? Why Canadian Law Firms Should Embrace the Future of Law and How They Can Thrive in Tomorrow's Legal Markets

Abstract

This article explores the role and impact that Alternative Business Structures (ABS) and technology will have on the future of Canadian law firms. It focuses on alternative models of legal service delivery and innovative processes, such as legal process outsourcing (LPO) and document automation, that are transforming the practice of law today. I predict that these techniques will require Canadian law firms to innovate new legal service delivery models to remain competitive in the future. I also propose that Pro Bono work should serve as the new frontier for legal innovation. For instance, Big Law should adopt a radically different approach to Pro Bono work by treating unmet legal demands as an opportunity to pilot new legal technologies that reduce legal costs and improve access to our justice system. Beyond the business of law, I consider some of the ethical challenges endemic to these changes in the context of a lawyer’s professional responsibility to his or her clients. I advocate for a proactive legal culture where law firms adopt alternative business structures and invest in legal information technologies that identify and improve inefficiencies in the provision of legal services today. Those Canadian firms that embrace legal technologies and ABS processes in their business structures will be well equipped to thrive in tomorrow’s legal market.