Expanding Realms of the Practice of Law

A couple of articles these past two or three weeks would seem to hold a measure of interest at least to most of our readers & patrons as well as those who may follow. The practice of law is getting more involved and expanding into new frontiers, as it were.

A Law.com article last week related that the "dismal job market for newly minted lawyers has influenced how most law school administrators approach their course offerings, with 76 percent of the institutions surveyed by the American Bar Association reporting that they've modified their curricula to adapt… The influence the employment picture is having on law school classes is seen most obviously in the rise of so-called practical skills courses: clinics, simulations and externships. Law schools have increased their course offerings in each of those areas, according to the report."

Two weeks ago there was also an article about the American Bar Association's "tackling technology issues in its model rules" at its annual meeting next month. "Model Rule 1.1 requires lawyers to provide competent representation to clients," that article said... "To do so, the comment to Rule 1.1 has always required lawyers to 'keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice.' The 20/20 Commission's recommended amendment to Rule 1.1 provides that this mandate will now include 'the benefits and risks associated with technology.' Lawyers who in the past blindly relied on third-party service providers for electronic discovery, search technology, data storage and security, cloud computing, and other technology needs will, to provide 'competent' representation, have to conduct a reasonable level of due diligence about what can go wrong in their use of technology to serve client needs."