INTRODUCTION
In considering technology’s role in enhancing legal services for elderly clients, there are three themes that lawyers who work with this demographic should consider:
- You do not need to reinvent the wheel,
- Client needs, and
- Knowledge and communication.
NO NEED TO REINVENT THE WHEEL
Considering the unique needs of elderly clients, the role of technology does not need to be synonymous with the latest and greatest creation, such as Artificial Intelligence. Instead, some of the more widely used platforms, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and DocuSign, fit the brief.
While these platforms may not be what you or I would envision as innovative, this is not about reinventing the wheel. These platforms allow elderly clients to accomplish many of the functions required to engage with legal services, from video calls to executing documents remotely, while simultaneously bypassing other common barriers they may face, like mobility and health challenges. As such, to our elderly clients, these technological platforms represent useful and accessible adaptations to the historically more inaccessible delivery of legal services.