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13 February 2021
Issue: 7921 / Categories: Legal News , Technology , Profession
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LawTech in the ‘Wild West’

Lawyers and regulators need to consult more with consumers about LawTech, the Association of Consumer Support Associations (ACSO) has urged

The non-profit, which represents civil justice claimants, published its report, Technology and Innovation, last week to coincide with the arrival of noted technology enthusiast Sir Geoffrey Vos QC as Master of the Rolls.

The report highlights that law firms and civil claims organisations will struggle to survive unless they invest in technology, and sets out a series of recommendations, including putting consumers at the heart of innovation, ensuring technology is ethically designed, promoting best practice for data security and learning lessons from InsurTech and FinTech.

For legal regulators, it asks them to provide clarity on liability regarding harm caused by a LawTech product, consider regulating unregulated service providers, and considering ways to regulate the use of AI to protect consumers.

ACSO executive director Matthew Maxwell Scott said LawTech ‘can increase efficiency, reduce costs and tackle the problem of incomplete or asymmetric consumer information’.

However, ‘Without clear guidelines and standards, there is a risk of creating a Wild West where anything goes. That may not be in the public interest.’

Issue: 7921 / Categories: Legal News , Technology , Profession
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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