Does Global Competition Mean No Rest for Exhausted Lawyers?

What a neat article by Wall Street Journal Law Blog. I am glad these issues are being brought to the forefront in our legal profession. Check it out.
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The practice of law used to be, well, more humane than it is now.

Less competitive. More genteel. Less hurried and harried and stressful and tough. Not that law’s alone; global competition has ramped up the pressure in a lot of industries. But legal practice was plenty taxing in 1986. Twenty-five years later, it’s a pressure-cooker on steroids.

At least that’s the conclusion drawn by the New York State Bar Association, which recently issued a report on the future of legal practice. The conclusion isn’t pretty. This story in the New York Law Journal puts it this way (h/t: ABA Journal):

[A]doption of a “better-faster-cheaper” work model by lawyers has led to “burn-out and the loss of human capital and expertise, placing additional economic burden on firms and taking its toll on individuals,” the report concludes.

“Technology drives many of these changes, affecting the traditional tasks associated with lawyering and how lawyers interact with their clients,” it observes. “In sum, the profession has changed in its demands of lawyers and how they provide their services. And it will continue to change, as adaptation feeds back against economic and social shifts already taking place. . .” ~WSJ has the full story.

~Lawyerproductivity.com