A key section of our report "Social Networking for the Legal Profession" looks forward to the next phase in the evolution of social networking for lawyers. One of the initiatives highlighted in the report is the BT thought-leadership project to engage the legal community in a conversation about diversity and sustainability. David Byrne, Head of Knowledge Management - BT Legal, explained to me that the 21st century lawyer (21CL) initiative began internally as a way of considering how the legal profession is changing, due to technological, social and economic pressures. Key questions discussed in a series of online debates have to date included: what is diversity; why is it so important to legal people; and how do we equip ourselves to meet the needs of our customers in the 21st century?

The next event in the 21CL calendar is on Thursday 24th September - Delivering Sustainability for the 21st Century. The event is being held to encourage debate and look at practical solutions that drive sustainability in the current economic recession and address the impact of climate change. You can find the full event programme here.