Speaking at the Faculty of Law, Thompson Rivers University, in Kamloops, B.C. on March 3, 2015

1. Omar
Ha-­‐Redeye
Faculty
of
Law,
Thompson
Rivers
University
March
3,
2015

2. Back…
to
the
Future

3. Tensions
Between
Lawyers
and
Firms
• Millennials
(and
others)
increasingly
want
flexibility
– Increased
emphasis
on
personal/family
life
– SkepPcism
about
long-­‐term
prospects
– Unwilling
to
blindly
plow
ahead
• Firms
are
unwilling
to
provide
it
– Structure
entrenched
in
historic
paQerns
– PercepPon
of
younger
lawyers
as
simply
being
lazy
– “Mass
reserves
of
the
unemployed”

4. Lawyers
Are
Choosing
AlternaPves
• Next
generaPon
of
solo
lawyers
are
not
ending
up
small/solo
due
to
lack
of
opportuniPes
• They
are
creaPng
own
opportuniPes
to
hold
on
to
their
passions
and
maintain
control
over
their
lives
• This
can
be
frustraPng
and
an
uphill
baQle,
but
at
the
same
Pme
it’s
incredibly
rewarding

6. Blacksmiths
in
the
Time
of
the
Automobile

7. hQp://www.siemens.com/innovaPon/en/home/pictures-­‐of-­‐the-­‐future/industry-­‐
and-­‐automaPon/digital-­‐factories-­‐personalized-­‐workstaPons.html?
stc=wwcg100118

8. AlternaPve
Business
Structures
(ABS)
• Would
allow
for
non-­‐lawyer
ownership
• Could
provide
desperately
needed
cash-­‐
infusion
• QuesPons
about
professionalism
and
duty
to
the
court
• Concerns
over
poaching
or
piece-­‐mealing
law
– Focus
area:
personal
injury

10. Trickle-­‐Down

11. ABS+
• University
of
OQawa
Faculty
of
Law
Prof.
David
Wiseman
in
Law
Times
(March
2,
2015)
– ABS
may
make
dispariPes
in
access
to
legal
services
worse
• Other
opPons:
– differenPal
licensing-­‐fee
structure
• incenPve
for
those
servicing
low-­‐income
people
–
seed
capital
fund
for
access
to
jusPce
iniPaPves

12. It’s
not
Just
Lawyers
Anymore…
• Major
shockwave
in
Ontario
is
regulaPon
of
licensed
paralegals
– Existence
of
1-­‐year
accelerated
programs
– Many
already
have
university
degrees,
work
experience
(ogen
more
than
lawyers)
– 5
year
review
in
2012
• What
does
this
mean
for
lawyers?

13. It’s
not
Just
Canadian
(trained)
Lawyers
Anymore
• Huge
influx
of
lawyers
trained
in
other
jurisdicPons
• Many
of
these
(increasingly
the
majority)
are
Canadians
who
could
not
get
into
Canadian
law
schools
• Not
enough
demand
for
legal
services
for
all
of
these
lawyers
– Not
enough
arPcling
posiPons
for
all
these
lawyers

14. The
Law
PracPce
Program
(LPP)

15. Why
InnovaPon
is
the
Future
• Law
firms
who
conPnue
to
do
things
the
way
they
have
will
eventually
be
unprofitable
• Lawyers
who
pursue
tradiPonal
legal
jobs
will
increasingly
discover
they
are
dead-­‐ends
• The
technology,
including
communicaPons
over
the
Internet,
allow
for
all
of
us
to
collaborate
and
brainstorm
soluPons
beQer
– This
is
what
we
are
doing
right
now!!!

16. ImplicaPons
for
Current
Law
Students
• Think
about
your
goals,
values,
ambiPons
in
life
now
– Don’t
forget
your
personal
life
• IdenPfy
all
of
the
obstacles
from
achieving
this
– Include
realisPc
understanding
of
the
profession
and
its
demands
• Figure
out
how
you
are
going
to
get
there
in
an
uncertain
market
– Start
to
develop
the
soluPons
before
you
become
a
lawyer

17. We
Need
to
Keep
the
ConversaPon
Going
• @OmarHaRedeye
• ca.linkedin.com/TorontoLawyer
• Omar@FleetStreetLaw.com
• hQps://www.facebook.com/TO.Lawyer