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| The Future of Law (Oxford University Press, 1996; paperback, 1998) |
| When first published in 1996, this award-winning book generated enormous interest amongst public policy-makers and strategic planners in law firms around the world. Many of its predictions have already come to pass. |
| The book shows, through theoretical argument alongside practical illustration, why and how IT will radically alter the practice of law and the administration of justice. Written for a general audience, including the legal profession, the IT community and the business world, the book brings together contemporary themes in management, IT and the law. The central argument is that computers and telecommunications will provide the basis for the emergence of an approach to legal service quite different from today's. What is envisaged is a movement from advisory service to information service, to a legal information service which might fully meet the needs of individual citizens and businesses and yet differ markedly from the means by which legal guidance has traditionally been given. For members of the legal profession, this book has an even more radical message than simply the anticipation of change. It is claimed that lawyers' failure to embrace the techniques and applications of IT discussed will result in a substantial disservice to the community. And in the longer term, ignoring IT may well mean commercial suicide for lawyers. |
| For further information, see www.oup.co.uk/law/practitioner/richardsusskind/future. |
