I Predict a Riot… in the Legal Industry (And It’s Spreading to Other Industries Too)

Things look scary out there, but probably not in the way you think.

Photo courtesy of author

Back in 2017, as I was getting ready to teach at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, I felt something I couldn’t quite put into words at the time. It wasn’t just that students were changing – or that technology was creeping into the classroom. It was something deeper. The old way of teaching, the one I had relied on for years, suddenly felt out of sync. Like it no longer fit the world we were living in.

So I wrote about it.

Eight years later, I’m back to Japan. Same course. Same place. Different reality.

I re-read my post. And strangely enough, it holds up. Past-me had a few warnings for present-me.

Warning 1: Stop playing it safe.

Open up. Embrace uncertainty. See digital disruption not as something scary, but as something to use and build upon. Sounds obvious now. But back then, people still needed convincing. Frankly, many still do. They nod along — and then keep doing exactly what they’ve always done.

Warning 2: Robotics, big data, AI.