The Future of Law

This anniversary edition revisits a classic that foresaw technology's impact on law, combining the unedited original text with new reflections and updated predictions for the AI-driven future of legal services. The Future of Law: Reflections and Predictions marks the 30th anniversary of Richard Susskind's seminal work on the transformation of legal services. First published in 1996, the original edition argued that technology would fundamentally reshape legal practice and the administration of justice—an idea that many lawyers at the time dismissed. Three decades on, with artificial intelligence now advancing at a remarkable speed, those predictions have taken on renewed significance. This anniversary edition reproduces the original text in full and unaltered, offering readers a rare opportunity to revisit the foundations of modern thinking about legal technology. Alongside the classic chapters, Susskind provides new commentary for each, reflecting on what was argued thirty years ago, assessing how these ideas have endured, and considering their implications for the years ahead. In addition to looking back, the book offers an entirely new restatement of Susskind's current views on the future of law, with particular focus on the likely impact of AI on legal work, legal institutions, and access to justice. It situates contemporary developments in a broader historical context, helping readers understand how far the legal world has come—and how profoundly it may yet change. Clear, authoritative, and forward-looking, The Future of Law: Reflections and Predictions is essential reading for practitioners, policymakers, technologists, academics, and anyone interested in the evolving relationship between law and digital technology.