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ARTICLE · 28 MAY 2013

The Paperless Trial

Fenwick Elliott LLP
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Technology has already transformed how lawyers deal with information in court - and soon those heavy briefcases could be a thing of the past

United KingdomReal Estate and Construction
Simon Tolson
Simon Tolson
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It is said that lawyers are historically slow to adapt to change. Yet lawyers are using the latest technologies in their law practices on a scale unheard of only a few years ago. In my practice we have used computers extensively for word processing and accounts since at least 1986, for data crunching and research since 1989 and we started using email and the internet in 1997. I insisted all qualified staff had Blackberrys from their launch in 2003.

The impact of certain technologies is apparent, particularly in litigation where e-disclosure is proving to be one of the biggest areas of technological innovation in the legal sector; but also in the wider management of law firms. Internet-based cloud computing, mobile technologies and social media have profoundly affected lawyers' professional and personal lives. But I am not going to talk about technology developed specifically for lawyers back at their desks. Instead, I refer to something even more exciting and it is

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