Legal Field To Be Most Affected By E-Discovery, Globalization In Next Five Years, Survey Shows
Link to press release: MENLO PARK, CA — Technology changes everything. When asked recently what they felt would have the biggest impact on the practice of law over the next five years, one in four (25 percent) attorneys polled said electronic discovery (e-discovery). Globalization followed closely, cited by 23 percent of attorneys surveyed.
The national survey was developed by Robert Half Legal, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of attorneys, paralegals and other highly skilled legal professionals, and conducted by an independent research firm. The survey is based on telephone interviews with 300 randomly selected attorneys from the largest law firms and corporations in the United States and Canada.
Lawyers were asked, “Which one of the following will have the biggest impact on the practice of law in the next five years?” Their responses:
Electronic discovery 25%
Globalization/international expansion 23%
Demographic shifts 17%
Corporate and regulatory issues 17%
Privacy/security issues 8%
Other 1%
Don’t know 8%
Refused 1%
“Changes to document retention and e-discovery rules have placed greater demands on companies,” said Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal. “To prepare for litigation, legal teams must review massive amounts of material in short periods of time and determine relevancy to the case. The complexity and cost of the task, coupled with the associated information technology and human resources needs, make this a challenge.”
Globalization also is affecting the practice of law, Volkert noted. “As companies continue to expand internationally, lawyers have to adapt to working across borders and in multiple jurisdictions. Multinational law practices should understand the implications of business decisions locally as well as in other countries where their clients operate.”
About Robert Half Legal
Robert Half Legal is the legal staffing division of Robert Half International. The company provides law firms and corporate legal departments with highly skilled professionals, including attorneys, paralegals and legal support personnel, on a project and full-time basis. Robert Half Legal offers online job search services at www.roberthalflegal.com.
Mentions: Robert Half Legal - web site | Socha Consulting listing
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