Legal technology has evolved from managing judicial processes and analyzing legal principles to also include managing legal documents, particularly contracts, as well as supporting administrative and financial tasks.
The legal field was one of the last to transition to digital technology, despite the fact that a decade ago many people found it ridiculous to communicate with clients via email, as discussed in Richard Suskind’s book Tomorrow’s Lawyers.
The legal market has seen significant technological advancements in the past five years, with many law firms and legal departments now actively undergoing digital transformation.
We are currently considering how to integrate digital technologies to improve efficiency in handling documents, solving legal issues, and maintaining good client relationships.
We cannot address all issues simultaneously due to the need to change culture, train professionals, select technologies, and work within budget constraints. Therefore, it is essential to plan and organize a project timeline that considers these challenges and determines where to begin and how to progress.
In the past five years, there has been a significant technological advancement in the legal sector compared to previous decades. This digitalization trend has led to increased efficiency and productivity, prompting law professionals and institutions to embrace technology while maintaining legal standards and professional ethics. The transition from analog to digital has resulted in notable improvements in performance and time management through the use of technology.
For the past two years, there has been a significant cultural advancement, especially due to the increased reliance on digital tools brought about by social isolation.
We had to try out virtual audiences, business meetings, and other requirements that we never thought could be done online.
We have pushed things to the limit, but eventually, we need to strike a balance between in-person and online interactions. A complex case benefits from a face-to-face hearing, while a simple case can be resolved effectively through online conciliation. Negotiating a contract requires in-person discussions, but monitoring its progress can be done through virtual updates and meetings.
The Judiciary has had a significant impact on the advancement of technology in our region, particularly in Brazil, through the adoption of digital processes and electronic systems, which have been crucial for the continued progress in recent years and have set a cultural example with great significance for the legal industry.
There are numerous criticisms and areas for improvement in the Electronic Judicial Process (PJe). However, innovation starts with an initial system version and gradually addresses needs and issues through updates and new features. In 2022, the Judicial Power’s digital platform (PDPJ) is being introduced, integrating multiple systems and databases while advancing microservice knowledge.
Understanding the evolution from procedural management systems and contracts in legal offices to the adoption of various technological solutions such as agreement platforms, analytics, and document automation has paved the way for advancements in legal communication and compliance with regulations like LGPD.
Through monitoring legal proceedings, we can witness a system that links its participants, mirrors procedural actions in an automated task flow, and enables the study of legal precedents.
This area is designed for overseeing legal proceedings and interactions among various parties, judges, prosecutors, etc. It also serves as a platform where information is arranged chronologically for everyone to track the progress of the case, including filed petitions, attached documents, issued orders, and judicial decisions. In essence, it provides visibility into each stage of the process and its evolution.
This cultural phenomenon is significant and can be observed across various sectors. Nowadays, people use the internet for communication, shopping, and accessing services, wanting to track every step such as message delivery, order acceptance, payment processing, and delivery scheduling. Online shopping offers a wide range of products, catering to different preferences and needs, without compromising the personalized customer experience.
The demand from society and the current movement emphasizes the importance of utilizing technology for a transparent and real-time customer experience journey.
Law firms can greatly benefit from using technology for advisory and strategic services, which are currently scattered across emails, messaging apps, text versions, and contracts without proper organization or traceability.
One of the significant worldwide trends involves the rise of low-code or no-code platforms in various countries. These platforms empower users to create task workflows independently without requiring advanced programming skills. They are transforming legal services by facilitating project management, team collaboration monitoring, and customer interactions.
When considering a merger and acquisition (M&A), there are various crucial steps involved such as drafting an initial memorandum or contract, ensuring confidentiality, evaluating companies, identifying liabilities, reviewing contracts and documents, and more. Despite using secure platforms for information storage during negotiations, important data like versions, completed tasks, and other activities can get scattered across different applications and messages. This can be challenging for both lawyers and clients to manage effectively.
Is it feasible to organize all these actions systematically, with associated documents and involving relevant individuals with appropriate access levels, to ensure transparency and facilitate participation in a structured manner that allows everyone to contribute and follow the workflow? Many individuals are already embracing this approach.
An opinion on a contract and the validation of clauses and risks can be easily managed through a client having a unique digital environment and a direct communication channel with the office. This allows the client to track progress, view services delivered and in progress, submit new requests, receive automatic updates, and organize administrative tasks efficiently. Additionally, this system can streamline business relationships, generate reports, and send targeted communications based on interests and areas of focus.
There are numerous possibilities for streamlining internal processes and workflows across various areas and activities beyond just litigation. Implementing solutions with these characteristics can greatly assist in team organization, project management, knowledge management, data protection, custom reporting, and overall management improvements and customer experience. While these platforms do not alter the legal content or technique, nor eliminate the need for personal interaction, they do revolutionize the interactions between lawyers, internal teams, and clients, necessitating a new organizational setup.
HighQ, a well-established platform founded in London over 20 years ago, is a prominent model of this system. Since being acquired by Thomson Reuters, it has made significant progress in helping large clients improve the organization of their consultative and strategic activities, resulting in increased efficiency gains.
Technology has advanced significantly in recent years, and I have had the opportunity to explore various innovative applications while working as a technology trend consultant for Thomson Reuters Brazil, particularly in the HighQ project tailored for the Brazilian market.
The advantages of digital transformation in the legal field are vast, with the potential for use in various legal services and sectors, showcasing our advancement comparable to other nations on a global scale.
It is important to consider the most promising area of focus within the office, for a client, or for an important case, in order to select a well-planned project and a clear path to initiate and develop a successful career path with continuous progress and evolution.
The positive development is that the emphasis on handling litigation and contracts is broadening to include other advisory and strategic roles within the legal field, highlighting the significance of a new management approach and client relationship model in providing legal services.
To gain further insight into the topic, refer to the webinar recording on Applied Technology for Advisory and Strategic Purposes in Law Firms.
