Lawyering in Canada in the 21st Century

Abstract

Legal practise is shaped by its social, political and economic environment. Canada's "new economy" of decreasing state regulation, globalization, computerization and changes in information technology, and the shift from manufacturing to the service sector has grave - largely negative - implications for the future of law and lawyers. Moreover, the profession is fragmented and stratified. It comprises multiple constituencies - solo practitioners, large corporate firms and specialists - with differing demographies and professional roles, which are implicated in varying degrees in the "new economy". As a result, they experience the restructuring of professional knowledge, governance, ethics and culture in ways so diverse as to put in question the prospects of a common professional future.