NYC Law wrote:scammedhard wrote:NYC Law wrote:What, from this info, allows you to draw the conclusion that the changes are permanent? We've just gone through the worst recession since the great depression, so yeah, things are awful. But I don't see how you're able to draw that conclusion while still in the middle of the fog of it all.
Here is another "Yellow Journalism" story about changes in the legal profession. Perhaps it can clear some of the fog.
NYTimes: "Armies of Expensive Lawyers, Replaced by Cheaper Software"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/science/05legal.html
I've read that one before. It is an issue, but not one unique to the legal field. I still don't think there's a reason to believe it will take up the bulk of the legal industry since many aspects will need a higher level of skill, but it will increase competition and tighten things up a bit.
I completely agree that there are too many law schools/law grads, but idk if I believe all the hype about permanent restrictive structural change to the legal system.
Because it's not unique to the legal field is irrelevant to the point that it represents a permanent and systemic change in the job market for JD's. Whether or not it will consume "a bulk" of the workload in the legal industry is also irrelevant. Even if it only accounted for 1% of the work load in the legal environment, that's another 300 less jobs that would be needed each year, further dislodging the equilibrium of supply and demand in an already sorely strained industry. And do you think that new technological innovations won't emerge? That this is at a constant? Look forward. This is the future. More temp work, more computers doing the work, because why pay someone $160K to do something that some software and a temp making $30 an hour could do? New technologies will emerge. As was stated, the trend of temp hiring will continue its uptick because companies are finding that they save cost without sparing significant work quality.
Not to mention, the economy is heading into another downturn. You seem to think that we've seen the worst recession we'll ever see. No regulation has been introduced that substantially solves problems in the financial markets. The dollar's value is nosediving, unemployment is rising, the housing market never recovered, consumer confidence is at its lowest point since it was indexed, inflation of food and gas is being understated, consumer and government debt are at all-time highs and gross domestic production is lackluster at best. Political stalemates make resolving these issue highly unlikely. We climbed a few inches out of the hole in 2010, but we have a long way to go, and the stimulus spending didn't work. Problems in the economy are also the systemic results of emerging markets across the globe that we can't necessarily will away with domestic policies, but if we could, the policies are failing. Not trying to be internet political douche here, but my point is, if you actually possess the ability to look forward, you will find that the economy is not a pretty picture in 2 or 3 years, and neither is the legal market (not a disaster, but don't rely on a huge recovery happening from 2009). Of course, opportunities will always exist for people with the right talents and a little luck.
