This weekend saw some momentous failures in football refereeing decisions at the top of the Premier League, at a time when the climax to the season is being approached and much of the world is watching on television.

For those of you not interested in our national sport I won’t attempt to explain the issues, as it is enough to say that all four of the most significant errors were as clear as day to a watching TV audience.

But such evidence or other technological assistance was denied to the poor souls who have to officiate the game.

This ludicrous state of affairs was neatly put into context by James Lawton, Chief Sports Writer of The Independent, who said: 'The laws of football were first codified in 1863 or, put another way, before the American civil war was resolved, Leo Tolstoy published War and Peace and Mark Twain Huckleberry Finn, and, most relevantly, 63 years earlier than John Logie Baird provided the first demonstration of televised moving images.'

Legal practice has not been conducted in the glare of televised punditry, but there should be no doubt that this year’s opening up of the legal market will expose the folly of the Luddite tendency that still pervades the profession.

This is because existing and new entrants that make good use of the technology available to them now, and which is becoming smarter and more productive all the time, will inevitably drive down pricing so that those operating in their preferred time capsule will simply not be able to compete.

The public will not necessarily know that this is because of the failure to embrace technology, but will nonetheless regard the purveyors of bespoke legal services where they need not be bespoke, as out of touch, either in terms of cost, or the way in which services are delivered.

Many firms have understood this message and have invested well in IT, but even amongst those firms it is often the case that rejection of the changes in working practices demanded by judicious use of the technology is tolerated.

There are other firms who pay lip service by investing in systematization but only venturing timidly into the venture, not wanting systems to be 'too prescriptive' rather than asking themselves why expensive personnel should be performing a task that a computer can do perfectly well consistently.

It is unlikely that Jamie Redknapp will be dissecting your firm’s shortcomings on Sky Sports, but even if he were not doing so for football viewers, they can see with their own eyes what is wrong with the Dickensian way of ruling the game.

That which is not obvious now to lay observers of legal practice will become increasingly so in the months and years to come.

Unlike the world game, where everyone has to abide by the same rules, each firm can adopt and truly commit to modernising their services, and failure cannot be an option.

Martin Langan is a solicitor and founder of Legal Workflow Limited, providing services tailoring practice and case management systems and legal IT strategy and operational advice and assistance.