Technology will free law firms for better face-to-face interaction

"Every man," Voltaire once said, "is a creature of the age in which he lives." Few, he believed, are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time. And herein lies the challenge for the legal profession in the age of disruption.

Lawyers are meant to deal in certainty. We don't like ambiguity.

So let's consider what we can be absolutely sure about right now before considering the future: It's tough out there.

As the Australian economy transitions from its reliance on resources to broader-based growth, uncertainty abounds.

Throughout the ages, however, the legal industry has negotiated short-term cyclical challenges. Pressures associated with economic transformation will pass.