Roger Smith charts the progress & pitfalls of the lawbots
The impact of technology on business-to-business legal firms is undeniable. Tech startup leader Legal Geek got an excited audience of over 1,000 largely commercial practitioners to its recent annual conference. Enthusiasm in the consumer market is considerably less. There have been a number of setbacks that might justify a much more cautious approach in this sector. This is something that many of its more conservative and cash-strapped practitioners might actually welcome. But, the chances are that technology will play a major role—it may just take longer.
The consumer-oriented failures are both international and domestic. In the Netherlands, the Legal Aid Board pulled the plug on its innovative Rechtwijzer programme. In the UK, Relate indefinitely paused its Rechtwijzer derived project. Siaro, a once promising family law programme developed by Brighton lawyer Alan Larkin, also ran out of funding. Co-operative Legal Services has retrenched, giving up its once much publicised ambition to transform the matrimonial market with a range of DIY and fixed-fee products.
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