LE3 .A278 2014

2014

Weatherbee, Terrance

Acadia University

Bachelor of Business Administration

Honours

Business Administration

Business

This is an exploratory study, whose purpose is to illustrate the effects of information and computing technologies (ICTs) on the practice of law. Today’s advancing technology causes continuous modifications in the manner in which organizations conduct and structure themselves. There has been a wealth of research into exactly how general business practices are being reshaped as result of ICTs. However, specific practices, such as those by professionals, are areas that have been less studied. Through semi-structured interviews, the study explored the thoughts, opinions, perceptions, and interpretations of ten lawyers from various law firms in order to determine what effects are taking place upon legal professionals in today’s technologized society. This qualitative research approach allowed for in-depth explanations to emerge from the research, where grounded theory was used in order to analyze the data. The content of the interviews were used to develop multiple categories, which were then compared and contrasted to previous research. The results illustrated positive and negative effects currently taking place, with regards to anonymity, connectedness, efficiency, work-life balance, security, and peace of mind. These results are presented to support legal professionals and future researchers in understanding the effects of information and computing technologies within legal practices.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:1167