IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022
30 Oct - 4 Nov 2022
Room 207, Level 2
Session information
Practice of law in the gig economy redux: legal tech regulation, impact on young lawyers and next-gen platforms
Thursday 3 November (0930 - 1045)
Committee(s)
Alternative and New Law Business Structures Committee
(Lead)
Professional Ethics Committee
Technology Law Committee
Young Lawyers' Committee
Description
YoungLawyersWhat is the regulation of legal tech and the blurred lines with traditional law? How are these “next-generation law firms” impacting young lawyers? What is gig economy’s impact on the future of the legal profession? These and many other related questions resonate on the way the law has been traditionally practiced. The rise of the gig economy and legal tech are on the cusp of transforming legal services as we know it, yet without a proper regulatory framework, the legal profession might render services that go awry in various jurisdictions. Further, this will have a significant impact on young lawyers’ careers and future lawyers. The “Uberisation” of legal services has also brought with it a proliferation in the number of platforms that cater to the consumers’ needs in the legal industry. Platforms such as Martindale, Goodlawyer, Avvo, Justia, Priori Legal and HireMeLegal, among many more, hope to target a more consumer/lawyer-friendly legal experience by enabling review systems, be it in the form of peers’ or clients’ input. However, are these platforms a boon or a doom? From both the regulatory and ethical vantage points, legal service platforms have countless benefits in enabling consumers access to justice, while concurrently raising serious legal and ethical considerations. This session will aim to bring together platform providers, senior lawyers and regulators to holistically discuss the pressing issue surrounding the legal tech revolution in the legal services realm, its regulatory and ethical implications on lawyers, particularly young lawyers, but also seasoned veterans, as well as these next-generation platforms on a current basis as benchmarks for thrusting the legal profession a step forward (or backward).
Session / Workshop Chair(s)
Adriana Castro | BLP, San Jose, Costa Rica; Co-Vice Chair , Young Lawyers' Committee |
Professor Paul Paton KC | Chapman University Fowler School of Law, Orange, California, USA; Programme Co-Officer, Alternative and New Law Business Structures Committee |
Speakers
Tracey Calvert | Oakalls Consultancy, Devon , England; Co-Chair, Professional Ethics Committee |
Brett Colvin | Goodlawyer, Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Rosa Espin | Ambar Partners, Madrid, Spain |
Carla Swansburg | ClearyX, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |