header-logo header-logo

Overcoming the fear factor in legaltech

14 March 2019 / Ben Stoneham
Issue: 7832 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology , Legal services
printer mail-detail

Ben Stoneham offers some joined-up thinking on delivering the next generation of digital legal operations

  • Savvy practices who think carefully about which solutions are scalable now will likely find themselves transforming their businesses and services with practical efficiencies.

In an industry as well established and rooted in tradition as the law, it’s fair to say that few innovations have caused quite so many ripples as legal automation. Following a 2017 prediction that some 67,000 legal jobs could be lost within a generation, significant concerns arose around the growing impact of automation on the legal profession. Two years on from this future gazing however, the industry isn’t over-run by robots as many feared it might be and, in fact, the advantages of automation are starting to become clearer.

The Law Society’s most recent Lawtech Adoption Research report acknowledges the current state of play in the sector —momentum is building, but slowly. The numbers of potential lawtech solutions in the market—from legal documents-as-a-service through to ebilling and practice management solutions— demonstrate

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
Is a suspect’s state of mind a ‘fact’ capable of triggering adverse inferences? Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Smith of Corker Binning examines how R v Leslie reshapes the debate
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
back-to-top-scroll