If there's one thing we're aware of, it's that we don't have a clear picture of the changes that technology and communication will have on how professions and occupations evolve over the years. What to expect in the legal field?

30 years ago, offering legal services through digital channels was considered science fiction. Lawyers today have social media accounts from which they provide advice to potential clients or collaborate remotely on legal matters, to name just a few of the changes that have taken place in the profession.

Understanding these new rules is essential to getting started and entering or staying successfully in the job market. At the end of 2023, Forbes magazine, in an article entitled "The Future of the Legal Industry", looked at some of the fundamental aspects that are driving changes in the profession and that not only indicate how legal practice is conducted, but lawyers have had to adapt to it.

As the legal landscape evolves, firms face challenges that require flexibility and openness to new ways of working. For those involved in international legal matters, including extradition cases, access to the expertise of international extradition lawyers can be critical.

Legal industry

Laws change, but lawyers do not?

Laws change. They adapt to the social and economic moment of the space they serve. No law without changes has withstood the test of reality.

To answer what the future holds for the legal industry, Forbes spoke with three experts in the field. These are the three most important changes taking place:

• One of the most important factors that the interviewees drew attention to is the development of technologies. This process requires the "democratization" of the legal industry, as legal services are available to everyone and without intermediaries. As expected, the situation has increased competition, forcing lawyers and law firms to use more resources to offer their services more directly effectively.
• Part of these technological adaptations involves the automation of legal services, that is, the adaptation of administrative systems and offices for more efficient management of all processes. Law firms that invest in this technology will reduce costs and time in offering their services, resulting in satisfied clients and new stakeholders. Automation measures also include negotiating or changing hourly rates for professionals, as speed and process integration will establish a single rate per case, experts say.
• He who adapts survives. Those lawyers or firms that avoid transformation will gradually cut their jobs, which will mean fewer new hires for younger professionals who are less resistant to change. Overcoming this adaptation will allow the arrival of new lawyers trained in new approaches. For this, it is necessary that they be trained in new trends and expand their training.

Evidence and predictions suggest that technological change will continue to affect the law. However, lawyers must always use creativity, ethics and discretion in their practice, striving to constantly reinvent themselves and stay at the forefront to provide the best service possible.
Read next: An unconventional legal career