president’s column the 21st
O
century lawyer & technology
n a recent out of town trip, I contacted my son and his fiancée, who were watching our pets and the house for my husband, Carl, and me. My query "how are things going?" resulted in two responses. From my future daughter-in-law came, “Everything is great. Hope you are having a good time!" And from my son came, "Te cats are dead. Te house burned down. Te kids are in jail, and Heather and
I have fled to Mexico." While the two very different responses are themselves unremarkable, the method of transmission is one that
hasn’t been around for very long. I have a group text message format that sends the same query to both of them. Usually my son doesn’t respond, though. Since I began practicing law, the way we practice has changed tremendously. Over the years, we have travelled from typewriters and
carbon paper to word processors (I still remember the huge Radio Shack word processors Al Tompson bought for Memphis Area Legal Services in the 80’s) to desk tops to laptops to iPhones and iPads and other tablet type devices. And we aren’t done with innovations yet. Memphis Area Legal Services was lucky enough to have secured a grant to do a major technology upgrade—thankfully before the
sequester hit—that has had a significant impact on productivity for our staff, and particularly for me. On any given day, I will get a text from my daughter (the wedding guest list needs to include 55 more people), at least one email from my mother (“What time are you coming over to help me?”), a tweet from my shopping buddy (@macys. big shoe sale. Bring credit card), a message on Facebook from my husband (“What’s for dinner?”), 57 voicemail messages (one from my dad about helping him download something onto his new Kindle), faxes from a variety of lawyers and every once in a while, someone actually stops by to see me. Amazingly, I even walked down to the Courthouse and met with two attorneys the other day! Te amount of information I receive from a diverse array of sources and the number of tasks I can accomplish is both astonishing
and wonderful. I can do more; I can communicate with more people, more frequently and quickly and with better results than ever. I can type my own pleadings, share them with others who can help edit them before, sitting from my desk, I can file them. I can check on the status of cases, download forms, research case law and Skype with law students at the University of Tennessee who prepared some research memos for me that will be posted on the Memphis Area Legal Services’ web site and be accessible to our volunteers. I can do all this from my computer/laptop/tablet. As I was driving home the other evening, I heard a report on NPR that caught my attention. Te reporter is doing a series on why
there has been a doubling of persons on Social Security disability over the last 14 years. Te reporter indicated listeners could read the report at Te American Experience web site which my husband and I did after dinner. I pulled out the iPad, hit the NPR addict app, and proceeded to read. While there are a number of segments to the series, one struck a real chord with me. In the US, large numbers of workers have lost the skillset they need to be matched with the jobs available in the marketplace. All too often, those jobs were lost because workers didn’t have the technological savvy they needed to keep, get or advance on a job. I say all of this for a reason. Te way we practice law, the way we communicate, write, research and interact with the court system is
changing. It is no badge of honor to say you don’t have a computer on your desk; it’s a mistake. It means you, as an attorney, risk becoming irrelevant and unemployable. Te Memphis Bar Association has a Technology Section
currently headed by Sean Antone Hunt. Sean is working hard to make sure that the section provides relevant, current and cutting-edge programs that will help you be more technologically proficient and learn what you need to become a successful, and plugged- in, attorney. We think you should take advantage of the offerings. Finally, while I confess my own addiction to a variety of techno gadgets, and don’t know how I lived without my iPhone, I treasure the
time I get to spend with others and the opportunity to go to Court. Our skillset involving litigation, negotiation and collaboration form a second set of keys to success- one that we will explore later this year. I love being able to meet with a group of attorneys to hash things out, I enjoy the social events of the bar when I get to see so many of you and would never recommend that you forego the opportunity to be ‘in community’ with other lawyers (or your family, for that matter). As much as I love those romantic Facebook messages from my beloved husband lamenting the selfish play of the current Memphis Tiger point guard, nothing takes the place of that fanny pat and hug I get when he walks through the door in the evening.
But it still sets my teeth on edge when he asks, "What’s for dinner?" Sincerely,
Linda Warren Seely, 2013 MBA President 4
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