Why Lawyers Must Play Video Games
How thinking about the “lawyer of the future” helps everyone prepare for tomorrow
In my other job, I work as a lawyer. For a large corporation.
Given my interest in technology, I am often asked to talk about the “lawyer of the future.” It is a fun assignment. The audience — other lawyers and legal professionals — are intrigued, even when they disagree with me.
So, I am always looking for fictional representations of future lawyers in books, TV shows, or movies to use in my talks.
You might think there would be lots. After all, lawyers can be found everywhere in popular culture. They are the sharp-dressed characters that fight injustice, help ordinary people, and make the world a better place.
And yet, I don’t find many images of the lawyer of the future. And those that appear are always portrayed as living in the past — antiquated relics of a bygone age.
Take Samuel T. Cogley. He appears in the 20th episode of Star Trek’s first season (“Court Martial”), which originally aired on February 2, 1967.
Samuel represents Captain Kirk, who is on trial for murder.
The prosecution’s main witness is a machine (a computer), and Samuel isn’t overly fond of computers…
