How should a practising lawyer approach getting the legal knowledge they need, asks John Gould
It has been said that 90% of all the scientists who have ever lived are alive today. It wouldn’t be surprising if 90% of all the English law which had ever existed was current today as well. Fairly simple principles of common law justice have long since given way to a complex and accumulating web of decided cases and primary and secondary legislation. It may be that complex law simply represents the needs of a modern economy and society which is itself increasingly sophisticated. It could be that gradually rising prosperity makes room for more lawyers: the number of lawyers is certainly at a record high. More lawyers may mean more specialisation which may in turn increase the ability to cope with technical complexity. In fact, for the specialists it may make complexity a real commercial advantage.
It is difficult to know how far technology has caused the complexity or simply provided a means to handle it. The answer is probably more about handling than causing. Even in the
