May 12, 2021

technology and digital

I like to say that the future of legal services rests on creating, maintaining, and leveraging data, including data about service activities, matter outcomes, and behaviours. But finding the path to new methods of providing legal services using data doesn’t occur in a vacuum; it requires applying a broad list of other skills and concepts that are in common use in other sectors but relatively new to the legal industry.

The liquid legal institute is working to change that. It’s a neutral, non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing what it calls the “10 drops” for improving the legal industry:

• collaboration
• leveraging technology
• innovating together
• common standards
• design-thinking
• global thinking
• enthusiasm
• inter-disciplinary
• non-profit – IE activity for its own rewards
• sharing with other groups

One of its earliest projects is a comprehensive and thorough list of resources for Legal Text Analytics maintained, appropriately enough, on Github. Another completed project is a Digitalisation Guide to help leaders in legal organisations take the first steps, or maybe the next steps, toward building data-forward businesses. LLI also works toward standardising common legal transactions, having completed so far work on share purchase agreements and non-disclosure agreements.

LLI is building a truly global and forward-thinking organisation taking concrete steps in moving the legal industry toward modernisation.

Also, I almost forgot to mention, Elevate Services is a corporate member helping to support LLI’s efforts and projects.