10 Yrs. of Legal Rebels

• Author: Journal Staff
• Pages: 52-61

ABA JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2019

52

10

OF

... AND STILL GOING

YRS

LEGAL

WHEN THE ABA JOURNAL

named the fi rst class of Legal Rebels

10 years ago, the legal industry was

undergoing rapid transformation.

The Great Recession had brought

about radical structural changes

to the way customers and clients

demanded legal services. Attorneys,

as they are wont to do, were slow to

adapt. There were some within the

legal industry, however, who were

ahead of the curve, and the Journal

set out to spotlight those innovators

and visionaries. At the time, the big

question was whether these outliers

would become part of the establish-

ment within a decade’s time.

Rebel s

Ten years later, it’s clear that many

of the same issues that drove the

original class of Legal Rebels to look

for solutions outside the mainstream

are still prevalent. Access to justice

remains a major obstacle for a vast

majority of Americans. While tech-

nology has become an integral part

of many lawyers’ practices, it is still

viewed with suspicion or ignorance by

a large swath of the legal industry.

So, as we celebrate the 10th anni-

versary of Legal Rebels, the need to

highlight innovators and visionaries

remains as important today as it was

in 2009. For this year’s edition, we

partnered with the ABA Center for

Innovation to feature lawyers, legal

professionals and technologists who

continue to push for change. Time will

tell whether 2029 will be signifi cantly

di erent than 2019—or 2009.

TO READ LONGER pro les of each

Rebel, visit LegalRebels.com