EPISODE 23 - Cathy Reisenwitz on Law and Technology

In this episode, Oscar and Scott welcome writer Cathy Reisenwitz. Cathy who writes on a number of law-related topics for Capterra Legal Software Blog, Above the Law and other sites recently wrote an article for Lawyerist entitled “The Legal industry is About to Get Ubered Hard.”

The hosts discuss Cathy’s article with her and what it means for lawyers unwilling to adapt to technological changes in the practice. Cathy explains that, like cab drivers, lawyers have been protected by legislation and regulation limiting who can practice law. This lack of competitive pressure has kept law nearly unchanged over the last hundred years. However, technological innovation makes it cost effective to offer new ways to serve the market, motivating entrepreneurs to go around protectionist legislation.

Lawyers who fail to recognize this major change in how lawyers and consumers interact – or even how consumers are interacting with business in general- are doomed to having their practices fail on the vine. Scott and Oscar discuss how prior podcasts have encouraged lawyers to look carefully at their social media; their use of technology; and changing consumer expectations about lawyers are affecting their practice. Cathy and the host talk about some specific steps lawyers can take to adapt to the current technology and marketplace.

You can find Cathy on Twitter at @CapterraLegal
and you can read her legal blog at http://blog.capterra.com/author/creisenwitz/