Each week, the Law.com Barometer newsletter, powered by the ALM Global Newsroom and Legalweek brings you the trends, disruptions, and shifts our reporters and editors are tracking through coverage spanning every beat and region across the ALM Global Newsroom. The micro-topic coverage will not only help you navigate the changing legal landscape but also prepare you to discuss these shifts with thousands of legal leaders at Legalweek 2023, taking place March 20-23, 2023 in New York City. Stay tuned for more information.

The Shift: Tech Competency Has Never Been More Important—or More Difficult

While always pivotal, ABA Model rule 1.1, comment 8, has never been quite so relevant. The ethical obligation for attorneys to "keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology," adopted by a majority of state bar associations, has taken on a whole new meaning in this remote environment.

Over two years into a pandemic, the pace of legal technological evolution is still turbocharged, putting more pressure not only on attorneys to keep up with the technologies impacting their work, but also legal professionals who don't fall under Rule 1.1. Judges, for instance, also have to be much more aware and knowledgeable about the technology in their trials and cases, with some noting they can't just rely on counsel educating them anymore.