In the summer of 2015, David Lat invited David Perla to become an Above the Law columnist. The column, “What’s Possible”, launched in September of that year. In that column, David noted that his role at the time afforded him the opportunity think about various issues relating to the future of law, including:

• How can lawyers make use of data to perform their jobs?
• How will the development of artificial intelligence affect the practice of law?
• What’s possible for law students, women and minority attorneys, law firm COOs, and litigators and other practitioners?
• Where is the dividing line between legal tasks that can be automated and those that must be performed by humans?

 

Over the past few decades, the legal industry has learned to use technology, process and project management, and offshore resources to improve the way legal professionals serve clients and solve client problems. In many respects, the profession has adapted around these new tools, to the benefit of providers and clients alike.  Yet, as a result of a number of factors — including the equity structure of law firms, the difficulty in measuring and quantifying legal risk, and the ability of underwriters to understand both finance and law — law had previously seemed immune to using capital as a force for positive change. That is changing fast, as capital is applied to litigation and a growing array of other areas of the law. We aren’t sure where all this will lead, but — like all industry changes that were driven by leveraging assets not historically applied to law — there will be myriad benefits for clients and law firms alike. And as we continue to ponder what’s possible, we are surer than ever that the possibilities are endless.

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