Artificial intelligence and automation: How the legal sector is utilising new technology

The term ‘technological disruption’ has been around in recent years, perhaps unsurprisingly, the phrase invokes a sense of uncertainty around the security of certain roles. Although some people are fearful of the changes that automation and AI can bring, rather than calling it ‘disruptive’, the new technology available should be seen as progressive.

The legal sector is one of the most traditional professions that you could work within. With the current technological advancements, lawyers are at risk of not embracing the change and utilising new software that will become a fundamental part of their role. From collaborative data sharing in cloud usage, to a high level of communication with clients. On a more technical level, the emergence of Blockchain technology as a ledger of unregulated transactions, will create so many more legal necessities.

Law firms are investing large sums on partnering with tech companies, as well as developing in-house solutions. Not only are there apps which can review and conceptualise legal documents through a process known as machine learning, but predictive technology is also becoming more prominent in the legal sector. By gathering large quantities of data such as, judicial precedents, a pattern is recognised which will provide the equivalent of an educated guess as to the outcome of a case. Where this is most effective is in a class action cases, due to the volume of documents that must be examined.

The various forms of tech and legal AI being used in the legal sector serve multiple purposes. Such as dealing with mass documents, predictive analysis, and machine learning. Drafting of documents has been computerised too. Smart forms and automated contracts make processes, even for laymen, easier to execute. It has been proven that they increase not only speed, but accuracy, whilst reducing risk. 

How the changes new tech brings can increase productivity

Typically, lawyers charge you for their time. Therefore, utilising apps that can process volumes of data in minutes, as opposed to the number of days it would take a team of paralegals and junior lawyers to review, leaves the firms in an awkward position. Using the software creates so much more free time, which begs the question as to whether AI in law firms will replace the junior workforce. This is because the demand from their clients for the firms to lower their fees may outweigh the need for this calibre of staff.

However, learning how to use this software to their advantage will much better serve the firm. Having more time means that they can source more business and invest the time in training the junior members on how to win business for the firm. This will increase the overall productivity of your teams.

The typical pyramid structure of the traditional law firm may be slightly impacted by recent and upcoming developments. That being said, our overarching stance is that the legal sector still requires the human touch. Despite the vast abilities that machines have, they are still unable to process principles such as good faith or reasonableness. Educating juniors on how to best utilise these tools will make them a technically strong lawyer, as well as forcing them to be more commercially minded and proactive in winning the firm business. 

How you can use AI to increase your attraction and retention rates

Firms can attract and retain employees by offering specialist training to their junior lawyers and embracing the changes, as well as holding onto the traditional softer skills typically needed for the position. Encouraging innovation will also attract recruits. Instead of thinking about how to make a certain process or system better, teach them to think outside of the box and push them to come up with new processes all altogether. 

How to use new technology in recruitment processes

At Michael Page, we are truly embracing innovative software to keep up to speed with our forward-thinking clients. We have introduced several programmes that we use to make the recruitment process faster, easier, and more streamlined.

Atlas: 
A major part of our role is being able to source the best quality candidates who are the perfect fit for the respective client. As well as going through the process of getting to know every candidate on a personal basis, with the aid of new technology, we can source from untapped talent pools within minutes. Much like the concept of time-saving, this grants us more time to delve deeper into each process and truly understand the needs of our clients, as well as candidates. By doing so, we adopt a more tailored approach to recruitment.

Having the software that allows us to access the passive market with such speed is a massive advantage, and instead of labelling this as disruptive, we focus on how best to utilise it and service our clients to the best of our ability.

Hinterview: 
With the increasing virtualisation of our reality, video interviews have become more and more popular. Through the effective implementation and utilisation of this technology, we can conduct the preliminary stage of the screening process and interview for our clients, by preparing basic questions with the firms and recording the candidate answers with their CVs alongside the footage. This saves you having to synchronise diary availability, which in turn prolongs the process. It is also advantageous to the candidate in that they are better able to sell themselves.

Powering our ability to source the best candidates at Page, we have certain tools in place which provide a more prominent online presence for our brand based on behavioural technology and algorithms. In essence, we are exploring all avenues available to ensure maximum market coverage as a truly progressive and forward-thinking company. Technology helps us to achieve this.

If you want to learn more about opportunities available to you, create a MyPage account to explore our roles. Alternatively, if you are looking to hire professionals in the legal sector, get in touch with one of our specialist recruitment consultants today.

Simon Perry
Associate Consultant, Michael Page