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Looking forward

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27 November 2015 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7678 / Categories: Opinion
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Could technology provide legal empowerment as the government withdraws funding, asks Roger Smith

Remember IBM? They used to make computers that no one got fired for choosing. Then they went quiet as the new boys on the block—Google, Facebook, Amazon—emerged. Well, IBM is back and hungry; looking for diversified markets; hunting lawyers and illustrating one of the themes of the month—the search to define the future.

IBM Watson

IBM is touting its Watson programme as the lawyers’ killer app. Kyla Moran, a senior consultant, has been on the stomp to spread the word and this brought her to the Legal Futures conference at the RBS building in the City.

Moran talks a good game. And IBM has developed a line for professionals which is repeated at its rolling promotions: “Artificial intelligence (AI) is no threat. Far from it. It is better defined as ‘augmented’ rather than artificial intelligence. All it promises is to take out the grunt work of processing information. But, humans still have the key roles of inputting the data and reviewing the answers.” But,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

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Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

Freeths—Louise Mahon

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Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS
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Stress at work for corporate counsel
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
Chancery Lane says no to LeO
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Human rights concerns for patients, prisoners & immigration detainees
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Licensing fast-track for conveyancing & probate professionals
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Stress at work? Join the (employment tribunal claim) queue
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
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