Robert Ambrogi Blog
Richard Susskind
In case you haven’t noticed, technology is irrevocably changing the practice of law. Unfortunately, law schools have not done a good job of keeping up with that trend. Last August, the ABA made it official that lawyers have a duty to maintain competence in technology. Even so, few law schools have made technology part of their curricula.
Kudos, therefore, to Suffolk University Law School in Boston, which has launched the Institute on Law Practice Technology & Innovation. Here is how it describes itself:
The Institute was established to study how technology is revolutionizing the practice of law, creating both opportunities and challenges for lawyers in every practice setting. The Institute will offer programs, courses, public lectures, and other information designed to educate students, the legal profession, and the public about technology’s transformation of the practice of law and the delivery of legal services.
The institute is being run by Suffolk Law Prof. Andrew Perlman. Perlman was chief reporter for the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20, the commission that crafted the various changes to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct that the ABA adopted last summer, including the new directive on competence in technology.
This week, Suffolk Law kicks off this new institute with its inaugural program, Tomorrow’s Lawyers, featuring Richard Susskind, author of the best-selling book The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services
Susskind’s talk will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Perlman. On the panel will be:
- Krish Gupta, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for EMC Corporation.
- Jordan Furlong, a consultant and analyst who writes the blog Law21.
- Regina Pisa, chair of the law firm Goodwin Procter LLP.
The program is this Thursday, April 18, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Suffolk Law, 120 Tremont St., Boston. Go here for registration information.