The Internet is changing the practice of law, and for many firms, such changes will result in wrenching internal changes as well. Firms that do not change may not be in business in 10 years. The world is changing that fast.
Law firms traditionally have been slow to change their practices. If you were to take a senior partner from the year 1900 and drop him into a law firm in the year 2000, he would be amazed at the fax machine, copiers, word-processing programs and e-mail, not to mention salaries. But, in most cases, he would find little that has changed in terms of management and structure. In many instances, he would find that the people around the table at the management committee meetings were all lawyers, just as in his day.
