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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