They are called learned friends because they are the epitome of knowledge and custodians of the dos and don’ts that are supposed to ensure that the society operates soberly.
Their weapon of choice is the mouth, and they use it with lethal accuracy. They have a habit of deconstructing any foreign mouth that is not learned. Even their silence is usually louder than a day’s worth of talk by a teacher or a nurse. They know very well that the earth rotates around their own axis while still revolving around them.
They are learned.
But what is learning when you are not aware of a Third and a Fourth Industrial revolution? What is this learning about when you need a standby ambulance after sending a single email? Are you that learned when you are still trying to figure out how to use Microsoft Office 97? How do you live with yourself when you cannot tell the difference between a website and an email?
The Curious Case of Analogue Lawyers
It is very obvious that most lawyers are still using Windows XP which Microsoft stopped supporting in the year 1906. Windows XP is a measure of social status for lawyers because law and technology do not mix. They have sworn allegiance to it that only death will do them part.
To be fair, those lawyers who have made in life and are busy oppressing the upcoming lawyers may not use Windows XP. They have iPhones, but the only thing they use it for is making calls, sending SMSs and of course WhatsApp. They have MacBook but these are primarily word processors and the next big thing they can do is connecting to office printers because every lawyer needs a printer.
While every business is online, law firms think that websites are made by neuro surgeons and so they do not bother to get one and if they do, thy will never update them.
They do not know what the Cloud is, and they are OK trying to backup their documents on flash drives and carrying them around in their pockets – a practice every educated person stopped doing in 1927. When we asked one if they understand the cloud, they went into great depths to explain how cumulonimbus clouds are formed and spoke for 24 years about it.
Electronic Filing of Cases
Despite the technological bankruptcy of learned friends, the Judiciary in Kenya went ahead to launch an electronic portal that lawyers can use to file cases. This was coming slightly over 30 years late and would have been welcome in any other industry. Unfortunately, it will take an above average lawyer two years to start using it.
Law is a technology blackhole.
