In 1985 we were using IBM typewriters for legal briefs and the U.S. mail for communication. We did our legal research in the stacks with the aid of Shepard’s maroon volumes.

Nobody expected things the same day, nor even tomorrow. The practice of law moved at a slower pace back then. Fax machines triggered a change though, as lawyers could suddenly make immediate demands with limited notice.

Next came computers, pagers, and e-mail. Large law firms and government entities took
advantage of these innovations and put the heat on solo practitioners trying to keep pace.

Years later, when COVID-19 forced the closure of courthouses in 2020, technological advances were made to let people work from home and keep the legal system churning. Many court appearances are now handled remotely and legal documents electronically filed and delivered. Administrative hearings that were once mandated to be in person are done via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Blue Jeans. Fewer people go to an office for work, and fewer yet go five or six days a week. Getting ahold of government employees by telephone has become nearly impossible.

What we have really lost to an appreciable degree is human interaction, and for lawyers
that’s an important means for sharing and building legal concepts and ideas. Relationships
with court staff, judges and colleagues, fostered over many years, have been lost or weakened.

On the bright side, our travel and dry-cleaning expenses have gone down, and we can ease into the path of retirement by simply slowing down instead of turning the faucet completely off.

What will artificial intelligence bring next to the profession? Wait, it’s already here, isn’t it?