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I heard many years ago that individuals can commit, what are described as cognitive thinking errors, when they make statements predicting the future. Therefore I take such crystal ball gazing with a pinch of Sodium.

Many lawyers have only the barest understanding of technology, and in any event they qualified in the main because of snails in ginger beer bottles,not to be computer operatives,driving dry processes to hit outside investor imposed targets.

As lawyers we should lead and not follow the debates as to how new technology can assist the modern solicitor in the way he or she practises. Computer analytics is the current buzz word for geeks in terms of artificial intelligence, but we are some years off from such artificial intelligence being remotely capable of understanding and advising on the numerous problems that clients throw at us. Think of "nuance" being an expression derived from the Latin for shades of cloud and the concept is put into context.

My real concern is that any failure by solicitors to engage in the debate as to justice and its interface with new technology will allow a discredited justice secretary to further undermine the UK legal system in a veil of ignorance.