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As we continue moving into 2023, the legal technology industry is expected to see a number of exciting developments and trends that will shape the way legal services are delivered and consumed. Here are the top 10 legal tech trends to watch for in 2023, and some insights on them.
- Artificial Intelligence
It's important to remember that artificial intelligence (AI) is many things, ranging from ChatGPT to robots and Natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML). Artificial intelligence and machine learning will continue to play a significant role in legal tech, from automating routine tasks to providing predictive analytics for legal research and document review.
A popular and rapidly growing field within AI is machine learning, as well as natural language processing, two areas in which Ayfie has been a player for some time. Our thoughts on these areas for 2023 are that for the everyday user, it is all about taking it down to an understandable level and finding the balance between a nice visual interface everyone can maneuver and providing the right support for everyday tasks. An example of such a service is our AI Personal Assistant.
You can read more about the different use cases of Artificial Intelligence in legal work and what it might lead to, from the collaboration between Ayfie and Kvale Law Firm. - Blockchain and smart contracts
According to IBM, smart contracts are "programs stored on a blockchain that run when predetermined conditions are met". This means e.g. automating an agreement, with the benefit of efficient time spending. The use of blockchain technology for legal services, including smart contracts, will become increasingly popular as the technology matures and more companies adopt it. This will allow open information sharing within a business network.
Although blockchain is not something we are directly impacted by (yet), this is a disputed yet fascinating technology - and if you are interested, definitely something to research further in the coming year. - Virtual Law Practice
The trend of virtual law practice will continue to grow as more people turn to online legal services and teleconferencing to access legal representation. For lawyers, having great technical skills has never been more important. In fact, some would even argue that having knowledge in e.g. Teams and Office 365 is no longer enough, although a great place to start, but rather that lawyers should seek to have a better in-depth knowledge of technology - including knowing how to code.
With benefits like more flexibility and mobility, lawyers are urged to be curious about new ways to transform their law practice into a more virtual one in 2023. However, the goal should also be to not lose humanness to modern technology, as many people still think the human touch far outweighs that of the technological. - Cybersecurity
As legal tech companies are on the rise, cybersecurity has become an increasingly prevalent issue among them. It is essential for all legal workers to prioritize the protection of their client data as well as any confidential information within their systems, as intrusions from cybercriminals have reached an all-time high. Mismanagement of sensitive details and files can lead to financial losses and reputation damage, making robust security tactics nonnegotiable for all legal tech businesses.
Companies must ensure that practices are in place such as encrypted cloud storage and a strategy for extra security measures to handle suspicious or unauthorized activities. A solid framework of defense stands between powerful information technology networks and cyber assailants, depending on the need for managed services hosting vigilance.
Through sophisticated methodologies and clever defenses, legal tech businesses can defend themselves against numerous threats uniquely posed by malicious adversaries every day. Some of the top-ranked companies in this fast-growing space are Heimdal Security and Palo Alto. - Legal Marketplaces
As demand rises for legal services, legal marketplaces are preparing to go global. These sophisticated virtual platforms aim to make life easier for the customer by connecting them quickly and easily with reliable lawyers and legal professionals. Solutions such as these bridge the gap between client and provider, streamlining the provision of quality legal advice at an affordable cost.
As their advantages are increasingly recognized and valued, legal marketplaces seem sure to play an increasingly prominent role in providing access to support services within a relatively short time frame. Findings indicate that these platforms are now adopted more widely than ever before in response to rising expectations among consumers. Achieving such recognition despite being relatively new further cement their growing popularity among businesses and households looking for cost-effective solutions to their daily legal dilemmas.
These rising platforms require lawyers to be efficient in their processes, and especially for any lawyers looking to win this market, the previously mentioned trends such as incorporating a virtual practice and being tech-savvy, become even more pressing.
6. Legal Operations
Legal operations are instrumental in streamlining tasks within the legal department, as companies aim to improve their processes and decrease friction. Investing in legal operations will take corporations one step further toward achieving desired efficiency and effectiveness in their respective scenarios.
Increasingly, businesses recognize that this area can add value — making an impactful difference on their bottom line in the long run. In such a way, strategic legal operations place crucial emphasis on supporting indispensable components namely time, resources, and costs parameters from a business perspective. In light of new realities, its importance cannot be underestimated if companies want to stay competitive going forward in the new year.
7. Legal Data and Analytics
Legal technology will remain at the forefront of innovation in the coming years, revolutionizing the world of legal matter management. Data and analytics concerning legal matters are ingeniously being incorporated into products designed to afford more reliable reports and forceful strategies. Companies specializing in legal tech are seeking out enhancements that help facilitate better decisions rooted in finely refined insights. Furthermore, these efforts will likely prove helpful to offer agile relevancy to cater to the relevant requirements of clients in an ever-changing arena.
8. Automation
Legal automation, a practice that involves the use of increasingly sophisticated technology to automate typically routine tasks in the legal world, is becoming more commonplace. Legal tech companies from around the globe are investing heavily in this sector as they strive for improved efficiency and cost reductions. By deploying automated solutions, legal processes can be expedited, and as users become comfortable in their familiarity with digital services, such as online filings, automated legal action could take effect faster than ever before.
Research data is also being poured into automating the tedious elements of legal research – greatly aiding those lawyers who must process related requests on a regular basis. The future is certainly full of potential when it comes to making "legal tech" effective and easily accessible to just about everyone, transforming what had previously been seen as a time-consuming and complex task into one that can now be executed in an exponentially simpler fashion.
There are numerous ways of automating processes in legal work, and data classification is one of them. Using Machine Learning, datasets can be automatically classified by their content, without needing much from the lawyer. Many of our customers within the Legal industry have also benefitted from using our AI Personal Assistant to help them with tideous and repetitive task, in addition to ideation processes.
9. Compliance and Governance
Legal tech companies (as most others) have since the arrival of GDPR been faced with another critical challenge—ensuring their services comply with relevant laws and regulations. This means regulatory compliance and sound governance must become a major focus for these firms if they aspire to succeed. In order to do so, adequate strategies must be implemented in legal risk management, documenting processes, usage of resources, managing sensitive data, and provision of services when addresses assessments from outside auditors and evaluators. Ultimately, this is a critical aspect of survival for any legal technology venture in the present-day developing world. If your legal company doesn't already have the necessary tools for compliance, such as Ayfie Supervisor, it's about time to start looking into.
10. Legal Design
To expand accessibility and deliver use user-friendly devices, the importance of employing legal design cannot be emphasized enough. By leveraging the benefits of design thinking, these firms are ushering in a new era of customer experience when it comes to legal proceedings.
Moreover, not only will this make valuable intra and intergroup interactions more prominent but also result in optimal subject matter expertise from law entities being closer than ever before. With its impressive innovative technology, legal design is quickly becoming one of the industry’s most widely utilized creative resources for any problem demanding clarity and decision-making.
Overall, these 10 trends are expected to drive innovation in the legal tech industry in 2023 and make legal services more accessible, efficient, and cost-effective for lawyers and legal consumers.
If you want to learn more about LegalTech and one of the most useful LegalTech tools, follow the link below.
