Legal Technology: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Law Practice

• Author: Mark McKamey
• Position: Is an articled student in his hometown of Powell River, B.C.
• Pages: 45-58

APPEAL VOLUME 22

n

45

ARTICLE

LEGAL TECHNOLOGY:

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE

FUTURE OF LAW PRACTICE

Mark McKamey*

CITED: (2017) 22 Appeal 45

I. THE SECOND MACHINE AGE ...................................46

A. e Foundations, Impact, and Pace of Change.........................46

B. AI in the Second Machine Age.....................................47

II. THE SECOND MACHINE AGE AND LAW PRACTICE................48

A. Drivers of Change in the Legal Market...............................48

B. e New Division of Labour and Moravec’s Paradox ....................49

C. New Roles for Legal Professionals...................................50

III. CAUTIONARY VIEWS ON TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIMISM

ANDTHEIMPACT OF LEGAL TECHNOLOGY .....................51

A. Internet-centrism and Solutionism..................................51

B. Constraints on the Adoption of Legal Technology ......................52

i. Technical Constraints.........................................52

ii. Economic Constraints ........................................54

iii. Cultural Constraints .........................................55

CONCLUSION ....................................................57

* Mark McKamey is an articl ed student in his hometown of Powell River, B.C. H e graduated

with a J.D. from the Universit y of Victoria and a B.A. in Po litical Science from the Universit y of

Calgary. This paper was or iginally prepared for a Super vised Research and Writing course in

the fall of 2015. Mark owes many thanks to Jerry McH ale, who supervised the pap er and whose

compassion and insight continually inspire.