Automation and Legal Industry
The legal profession around the world is not confined to the courtroom anymore. The new generation lawyers in collaboration with technical experts are designing several automation tools to enhance productivity, reduce cost and generate revenue. Automation tools are used for a range of legal services ranging from legal searches, contract management, document review, process automation, e-discovery and intellectual property, etc.
The US and UK had Westlaw, LexisNexis and Bloomberg law as leading search engine tools for a long time, making life easier for lawyers and law students alike. Law information product movement in India started with the introduction of Grand JURIX in early 90s, followed closely by Manupatra and LexisNexis India.
For decades, Westlaw and LexisNexis kept serious competitors away, but with the launch of Bloomberg Law in US, the scenario has changed. Bloomberg not only provides lawyers with primary legal content but also enables them to monitor their clients' businesses by harmoniously integrating law and news, making it more lucrative than its competitors. However, Bloomberg still has strong competitors in Westlaw and LexisNexis as these two companies have been used by law firms and schools around the world since a very long time.
In India, Manupatra has been more popular than its competitors, LexisNexis India and Westlaw India because of being the first online Indian legal tool. However, it's only a matter of time before Westlaw and LexisNexis take over the Indian legal software market as well with their superior technical knowhow and ability to make continual investments. The latest entry in the Indian market is the Legal Information Institute of India (LII of India) which is a free legal portal on Indian legislations, treaties and case laws, with the aim of free access to law movement throughout the world.
Since 2002, the International Criminal Court started a series of electronic legal services project known as Legal Tools project. The aim was to provide a comprehensive collection of resources relevant to international criminal law, combining modern technologies into the investigation, adjudication, prosecution and defense of complex international crimes. The UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), with the aim of facilitating effective implementation of international drug control and organized crime treaties has also developed a variety of legal tools such as the mock trial case training tool, the mutual legal assistance request writer tool and the omnibus survey software .
At present there are several tools in US such as, FASTDRAFT 1.3, MASTERDRAFT 2.0, NOVADOCS 2.0 and SCRIVENER 3.2, etc., which have been developed to help in computer-aided document drafting and document assembly.
Many lawyers have wanted technological revolution to take place in the legal profession. The lawyers today have a better understanding of software tools and technology and therefore are able to collaborate with software developers to develop relevant technology and lower costs. Law firms and lawyers that are able to take advantage of these technology interventions will be able to serve their clients better by lowering costs and significantly increasing their productivity, thereby serving their clients better.
Sources:
3. http://www.westlawinternational.com
