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GAZETTE
DECEMBER 1988
The Future
by Thomas D. Shaw
Pres i dent
Having travelled extensively during
the past twelve months, I have
been interested to try and identify
the trends of how solicitors will
operate their practices in the future.
The advent of the technological
age has brought firstly, dictaphones
and subsequently word processors
together w i t h time billing and
litigation support and reminder
systems.
Undoubtedly in my view the next
step will be a personal computer on
every solicitors desk.
This personal computer will be in
a position to supply the solicitor
w i t h all the information wh i ch he
wou ld want to enable him to carry
on his practice.
So if t he l awyer wa n ts to
research a particular legal point, he
w i l l be able to l ook at t he
authorities on that point w i t hout
having to send the case to Counsel.
Every conceivable precedent will
be available to t he practising
solicitor and he will be able to adapt
the precedent to suit his needs.
The so f twa re will store legal
forms in the computer so that the
lawyer can call t hem up on his
computer screen as he needs them.
It will be possible to have
available all financial information
wh i ch a lawyer would need such as
the rates of interest payable by the
Banks, the different interest rates
charged by the respective Building
Societies, the Stock Market Report
and all facilities so that he is in a
position to advise his client.
The data base for the computer
will have to be supplied principally
from the Law Society, but from
other institutions such as banks,
building societies, publishers as
well.
The basic idea is t hat the lawyer
can practise his law at his desk
w i t hout having to spend time
outside his office other than wh en
it is absolutely necessary.
In America, the average firm of
lawyers has b e t we en 1.3 — 1.7
lawyers per secretary whereas
where the computer system is fully
operative the f i rms using the
system have 2.75 lawyers per
secretary. The position in Ireland
appears to be almost the exact
reverse.
Other interesting statistics have
emerged f r om America.
Statistics show that the average
gross receipts per lawyer in 1987
in America were about $180,000.
This represented a 114% in-
crease over the last ten years but
it was also d i s c l o s ed
t h a t
overheads exc l ud i ng associate
salaries increased 153% over the
same period.
The big pressure in America is
that overheads and salaries are
cutting very deeply into gross
receipts.
Approximately 6 5% of gross
receipts are taken up w i t h over-
heads and this is an increasing
rather than a decreasing figure.
In an effort to increase their take,
lawyers in America are going away
from time costing alone and are
prefering a system of value billing
against which they check their time
records.
In this country, this has long been
practised and invariably results in
the solicitor and the client agreeing
what is a fair fee for the case. The
problem of time costing alone is
that in a small case in wh i ch there
is a lot of time and effort expended
the fee very often antagonises the
client.
Whatever the future holds, there
is no doubt that all the technology
in the world is no substitute for
hard work but it is equally clear that
the lawyer owes it to himself and
his s t a ff to provide wha t ever
modern equipment he can afford
for the improvement of his office
and thereby of the service wh i ch
gives to the public.
Q
NEW YORK STATE
BAR EXAMINATION
The As soc i a t i on of t he Bar of t he
City of New York has recently issued
a Report which will be of interest to
Irish solicitors planning to sit the New
York State Bar Exami na t i on. If t he
Repor t 's proposa ls are impl ement ed,
Irish app l i can ts will first have to
compl e te 24 credits at an approved
U.S.
Law
S c h o o l
( in
U.S.
Cons t i tut ional Law, Civil Procedure,
a nd P r o f e s s i on al Respons i b i l i t y)
be fore being pe rmi t t ed to take t he
Exam. A copy of t he Report is
available f r om:
Education Officer,
Law Society,
Blackball Place,
Dublin 7.
Tel. 710711
3 02