The hospitality industry is replacing room service with virtual assistants and farmers are trading in their almanacs for algorithms, but the legal vertical seems hesitant to move forward without reading the fine print. It makes sense that an industry predicated upon handwritten signatures and careful consideration is slow to embrace today’s automated, instantaneous culture, but some concepts demand a retrial.Here are three technological tools that are criminally underused in the legal world—and how they can transform your law firm or legal department.
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
In the age of Big Data, the average person produces an estimated 2.5 exabytes of information each day. The current quantity and quality of data out there provides lawyers and other legal professionals with plenty of strategy options and the evidence to support each position—but research comes at a price. Time is money, and the more pieces of information members of the legal team pore over, the higher their salaries.
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) can help law firms streamline the research process, cut costs, and eliminate the possibility of human error. The eDiscovery tool Logikcull is just one example of AI technology built for this express purpose. As Logikcull’s name implies, the Cloud-based platform weeds out irrelevant or unresponsive documents, leaving only the most important information for the legal team to review.
- Blockchain
Blockchain architecture allows disparate users to make transactions on an electronic ledger. This ledger can only be updated by consensus among participants, and each transaction is recorded and timestamped for full transparency. Though in its infancy, Blockchain technology is poised to disrupt numerous industries, primarily ones responsible for sensitive data, such as healthcare and law.
The legal sector can use Blockchain to ensure the integrity of documents—that compliance is achieved and maintained, and more importantly, that files are unaltered. Blockchain’s tight security settings also reduce a law firm’s likelihood of losing sensitive data to phishing scams—a classic cyber threat experiencing a resurgence.
- Mobile technology
As any attorney can attest, some cases are all-consuming. Forget lugging around heavy folders and files! Today’s smartphones and tablets make it easy to bring work home.
Mobile device technology has evolved to accommodate a lawyer’s fast-paced lifestyle. Store documents in the Cloud and access them anytime, anywhere via a smartphone or tablet. Mobile devices also enable convenient collaboration with colleagues and more frequent communication with clients, so everyone benefits from adopting this technology.
Convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s time to upgrade operations at your law firm or legal department? eMazzanti can help. Contact us today to find out more about our services, including Cloud integration, round-the-clock IT support, technological tools and more.
