COMPETING IN CYBERSPACE - THE FUTURE OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION

Law is an information-oriented profession that has been profoundly aff ected by the traditional media, particularly print. In relying on new information technologies, lawyers are engaged both in a process of ada ptation, as new tools displace old tools, and in a process of accultur ation, as a new information environment emerges in which there are cha nging assumptions and expectations about the value and use of informat ion. In this digital environment, professional boundaries are vulnerab le as control over bodies of knowledge is weakened. In addition, the l egal profession must respond to increasing levels of complexity in rel ationships, to increasing rates of change, and to increasing levels of conflict, all of which are occurring at the same time that the role a nd meaning of the profession is being redefined.