July 22, 2015
Megan Zavieh is right. 21st Century lawyers cannot afford to turn a blind eye when it comes to technological advancements. Technology is too omnipresent for that, affecting a multitude of aspects within the legal profession, from client correspondence to the acquisition of case-related general and highly specific information. Nowadays, it often is the only way to collect practice-related content. In the Lawyerist, Zavieh writes about the emergence of legal cases requiring lawyers to use and stay on top of technology. From a client’s perspective, technology is a money-saver and has been shown to be less error-prone than the fallible human lawyer. “Better and faster” has resulted in the development of legal and ethical standards that impact legal competence. The lawyer’s job and the elements the job, such as thoroughness, organization, diligence and effectiveness, demand use and application of technology in addition to awareness of its pitfalls (e.g. data security, confidentiality) in an effort to avoid the legal and ethical implications of choosing to remain a luddite.