The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services.

• Position: Brief article - Book review

The End of Lawyers? By Richard Susskind

In The End of Lawyers?, author and professional adviser Richard Susskind evaluates the legal profession in light of the current economic climate. His findings raise serious questions about the future of both legal services and the legal practice as a whole.

Susskind argues against expensive legal services, which he believes the new market will no longer tolerate. Many services, Susskind believes, could be undertaken more efficiently and less expensively. Unless attorneys begin to adjust their way of doing things, Susskind believes tasks once immediately given to lawyers will be accomplished via other, less expensive means.

According to Susskind, in the notso-distant future, the legal profession will be driven by a pull toward the commoditization of legal services and the development of new legal technologies.

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