The document discusses the rise of virtual and dispersed lawyering due to significant student debt, rising law school tuition, and a shrinking legal job market. It proposes minimizing office space and expenses, utilizing technology and cloud computing, and collaborating with colleagues as needed. This allows lawyers to work remotely while maintaining quality service, confidentiality, and avoiding conflicts of interest. The benefits include increased income, free time, less time commuting, and overall job satisfaction through greater control over one's workflow. The document predicts larger law firms will adopt more telecommuting options, changing workflows to improve productivity, client service, and satisfaction.

1. The Pyjama Lawyer:
Virtual and Dispersed Lawyering
Omar Ha-Redeye
Practice Management and the Model Code of
Professional Conduct
The Commons Institute
Friday, 12 February 2016

2. The Scenario
• Significant student debt among lawyers
• Increasingly competitive admissions to law school
• Sometimes multiple or graduate degrees needed
• Rising law school tuition
• Shrinking legal job market
• Less traditional opportunities
• Greater volatility and
• Shifting cultural values among lawyers
• Millennial emphasis on work-life balance
• Gender changes and family responsibilities

3. The Solution
• Minimize expenses
• Lose expensive office space
• Utilize per diem support staff
• Collaborate with colleagues when needed
• Maximize technology
• Scan all documents
• Employ cloud computing platforms
• Communicate electronically (including fax)

4. The Benefits
• More (net) income
• Profit is also generated by lowering expenses, not just
creating more revenue
• More free time
• Less time in traffic, no unproductive gossip
• More overall happiness
• Control over workflow and decision making provides
greater satisfaction

5. Professional Conduct
Considerations
• R 3.2 QUALITY OF SERVICE
• R 3.3 CONFIDENTIALITY
• R 3.4 CONFLICTS
• R 3.5 PRESERVATION OF CLIENTS’ PROPERTY
• R 4.1 MAKING LEGAL SERVICES AVAILABLE
• R 6.1 SUPERVISION
• R 7.5 PUBLIC APPEARANCES AND PUBLIC
STATEMENTS

6. The Next Steps
• Growth of telecommuting options for larger law
firms
• Change in workflows and work schedules
• Better productivity, client service, and overall job
satisfaction

7. Questions?
• Email: Omar@FleetStreetLaw.com
• Phone/Fax: 416-546-7412