The Role of Data Strategy in Driving Competitive Advantage, Productivity, and Profitability

Developing your data strategy might not be on your priority list right now, but converting your organization to be a data-driven business could be just the transformation you need to bounce back. Hindsight, as they say, is 2021; and we are already finding that this year has proved illuminating for many organizations who, under mounting contractual questions from clients and pressure on their bottom line, have realized how valuable an asset a data strategy could be for their business. But data isn’t just about answering your contractual questions quickly and accurately, although this too is an important outcome. It’s about answering business questions, managing risk better, and finding the hidden opportunities inside your contracts that drive value, cost savings, and revenue to the bottom line. According to The McKinsey Global Institute, data-driven organizations are 23 times more likely to acquire customers, six times as likely to retain those customers, and 19 times as likely to be profitable as a result. These findings are reinforced by The BARC Leadership Survey from 201, which states that a good data strategy delivers an average of 8% increase in profit and 10% reduction in cost on a baseline. But, according to Harvard Business Review, data strategies across the world are chaotic at best, and non-existent at worst. It states that less than half of an organization’s structured data is actively used in making decisions and less than 1% of its unstructured data is analyzed or used at all. While there are myriad reasons for this in the legal sector; one of the biggest is the paralysis around getting the data strategy right in the first place. There is a raft of methodologies available that can help. Most discuss a data strategy in terms of five stages with identification of the data as the start; storage is the second phase; provisioning of the information is third; then the processing, and then the ability to govern and manage that information. But this method doesn’t necessarily fit into the mold of the legal data world. The reason that we believe financial, medical, and personal information is so much more advanced in data strategy is because of the challenging five Cs, with which the legal team must contend: Culture The belief that lawyers deliver exceptionally little, therefore the information is unique to the legal industry and cannot be understood or shared with those outside the fraternity. Colleagues There’s a growing gap between the data-intensive divisions such as finance, IT, and procurement and the legal team who are inundated with information but don’t convert that into a data strategy. Coin There’s fundamentally a lower investment in data compared to that of financial services providers, so the legal industry and in-house legal always seem to be a step behind. Conflict The challenge between protecting information and exploiting information, is a conflict the legal industry understands and something unique to us and our challenges.  This can have a drag effect on the implementation of a more expansive or sophisticated data management strategy. Competition Data allows clients to differentiate between law firms, and even in-house legal teams based on quality, speed, and ease of legal services, which makes many in the legal profession uncomfortable. But if the existing data strategy methodologies are not molded to the legal sector, how can law firms and in-house legal teams develop their own, more applicable data strategies? We believe there is an alternative method that has already proved highly effective with our clients. Our process is underpinned by the understanding that nobody owns the data. To succeed, every data strategy must have cross-departmental collaboration at its heart; turning data into information cannot be achieved in silos. Our six-stage process for your data strategy is: 1. Start with the business question that needs an answer and contextualize that question Starting with the commercial question can be more challenging than the following steps. You need to consider not just what is the problem you are trying to solve, but put that question into context within your business. How does the problem or the business question we need answering fit into our corporate strategy or our roadmap? 2. Identify which data sources can answer that business question This is why sharing data must underpin every data strategy – your data sources will be across procurement, finance, sales, and legal combined. 3. Hire or train the data experts Having the right people on board is vital, but not easy. According to McKinsey: “Another challenge is attracting and retaining the right talent — not only data scientists but business translators who combine data savvy with industry and functional expertise.”  These teams or individuals must deliver on managing the data sources to respond to that business challenge or question, so having a third party here can be more appropriate. 4. Deploy legal analytical overlay This analytical overlay must be applied across all the different business verticals. This is not a bolt-on; this is a crucial element in creating your analytics to give you the business outcomes and commercial answers you need. 5. Finally, begin your data gathering Any solution you choose must gather and understand contextually both structured and unstructured data. This is the only way you can ensure that you are getting the complete picture from your data.   This methodology is a roadmap for how to start accessing the data you need to answer your commercial questions. Alongside this six-stage strategy there are several other considerations that we believe must be factored in throughout to ensure the success of your data journey: Define success: Many legal teams struggle with understanding the success factors of a data strategy and therefore find it difficult to present a business plan to the wider organization. But carefully and critically defining success in terms of the ROI and the commercial impact on your business is crucial. Without defining success and the financial metrics, it’s extremely difficult to find the buy-in that you require from stakeholders, financial backers, and internal champions. Work with an expert to design and implement a solution: This seems obvious, but there are no out-of-the-box solutions when it comes to a data strategy. Every case study or webinar has nuances as to why it worked for some clients in certain situations and not in others. Launch a pilot project: This allows you to find those quick early wins and maintain momentum on the strategy. It also demonstrates to stakeholders and the C-suite that there is a real impact to be gained from your strategy. Measure impact and continuously improve your strategy: One of the risks with any data strategy is being so caught up in the process that you forget to continuously measure impact and to improve on your strategy. A failing that is often ascribed to legal data is that it doesn’t take into consideration shifting conditions. We live in a time of immensely shifting conditions and your data project will be at risk if you can’t measure the impact of these changing conditions on your strategy, cost, and timelines. Senior support: We’ve discussed previously how your culture is crucial to the success of your data strategy. Having C-suite engagement and understanding at the right level is vital, as well as having champions throughout the organization, particularly in IT and procurement, is essential. Data has become a critical corporate asset. And, given the current climate, inquisitive clients, and pressures on the bottom line, the C-suite is now hungrier than ever to know what their biggest asset is worth. Data isn’t going away, it’s multiplying year-on-year and the importance of managing your data strategically is central to the success of your organization. Having a robust data strategy in place, infused with analytics, will be the driver of your business growth and ensure that your business evolves, not just survives, in the all-new post-COVID world. Don’t leave your data strategy to chance; contact us now to find out how you can benefit from our expertise and technology.

The Four Factors Behind A Successful LegalTech Implementation

When it comes to introducing new software, we may be conditioned to see the glass as half-empty: According to a study reported by CIO magazine, 75 percent of business and IT executives said their projects were often “doomed right from the start.” It doesn’t have to be this way. And, frankly, given what is at stake in the arena of LegalTech – from regulatory deadlines to litigation discovery to contract terms – it cannot be this way. To ensure success in your next LegalTech project, four critical factors must be taken into account. According to the Harvard Business Review, these factors “determine the outcome of any transformation initiative.” They are: Duration This does not refer to the time required to launch; instead, it refers to the time between progress reviews. Indeed, long projects that are reviewed often are more likely to succeed than short projects that are not. What this means for your LegalTech: Resist the urge to rush the rollout and call it done. Harvard recommends reviewing projects at least twice a month in the formative stages. Structure these reviews around key milestones. For instance, with modern matter management, this could be initial installation within the Legal Department; the first production of quarterly reports; the deployment of legal intake and triage. At each milestone, review the execution, discuss what went right (and what didn’t), and brainstorm risks and solutions. This approach helps you quickly address any issues that surface, and it instills confidence in the Legal Department by demonstrating clear purpose and a consistent pattern of achievement. Integrity Can you rely on your team to complete the project successfully? Is this group capable but also trustworthy in the eyes of the end users? What this means for your LegalTech: Your project team should be carefully composed to have the ability to get the job done and the respect of the organization. Recruit a high-profile leader to serve as an executive sponsor; for credibility, also include a well-known skeptic or two. The team should reflect the people who will use the software; include colleagues from various levels, ages, locations and tech-savviness. Commitment Successful change management can hinge on the endorsements of two constituencies: influential leaders and the people most affected. What this means for your LegalTech: Again, recruit a high-profile leader (or several) to publicly champion the project. The general counsel or chief legal officer should voice enthusiasm early and often. Meanwhile, do not neglect your grassroots support. Communicate directly and consistently with the people who will use the LegalTech. How will it change their workdays? How will it change their workload? Provide examples and previews, and offer ongoing dialogue. Publicly share and celebrate your project milestones, so the team at large can see consistent progress and understand what will happen next. Effort Just because there’s an exciting LegalTech initiative afoot does not mean the day-to-day responsibilities go away. Successful change management requires that you be realistic about any extra burdens placed on the team leading the implementation, as well as the time required of all team members for training, learning and troubleshooting. Ideally, Harvard notes, no one’s workload should increase by more than 10 percent. What this means for your LegalTech: Be thoughtful about your timing and your time demands. Most of the Legal Department’s work is deadline-driven and necessary. Avoid periods of heavy activity or major deadlines (quarterly reports, regulatory filings, etc.). Also, recall that a long project with frequent check-ins and clear milestones is apt to be more successful than a short, rapid-fire “get it done” approach. While the latter may satisfy the need to cross off the project on your to-do list, it is more likely to be prone to mistakes, foster mistrust, and ultimately, to result in the legal technology being used haphazardly or not at all. This is where a project management system like Agile can ease stress. Legal Departments using Agile are at a significant advantage: They have visibility into the workload of the team, and they are accustomed to breaking up large initiatives into small, discrete tasks. They also benefit from frequent “standup” meetings where they can share progress or ask for help. Agile or not, any Legal Department considering a new technology initiative would be well-served to consider the four elements of change management – Duration, Integrity, Commitment and Effort, or “DICE” – and to proactively plan for success.   About the Author Jodie Baker, CEO, Xakia Technologies Jodie Baker is an innovator, entrepreneur and business builder, and one of Australia’s leading advocates of LegalTech. Jodie is the Founder and CEO of Xakia Technologies, Founding Member, former President and current Director of the Australian Legal Technology Association, sits on the Victorian Chapter Board for the Australian College of Law and was previously co-chair of the Advisory Board to the Centre for Legal Innovation. Jodie has a background as an in-house lawyer and financial analyst and was the architect, founder and MD of Hive Legal. In her spare time, she occasionally sleeps.

JUTA Reinvents Itself and Inspires Possibilities in a Digital World

South Africa’s preeminent education, academic and legal information publishing house, Juta, is reinventing itself as the go-to provider of legal technology platforms, tools for lifelong learning and solutions to grow businesses under the banner of, “Inspiring Possibilities Together”. Under this impassioned theme, Juta looks to further perpetuate meaningful change in the lives of students; academics; the business and legal fraternity by highlighting its extensive digital presence that complements the publisher’s vast library of subject matters. “For more than 160 years Juta and Company have been associated with quality Law, Education and Academic publishing in Southern Africa. Drawing on our heritage of authority and excellence, Juta has remained relevant by embracing technological innovation and diversifying beyond publishing to offer e-learning and technology-driven information solutions,” says Kamal Patel, Chief Executive Officer. Founded in 1853, Juta has grown both as an institution in the academic spheres and as a source of intellectual wealth spanning multiple genres including academic, business and legal literature. At 167 years the publishing behemoth is rebranding to better reflect the modern-day digital era it now operates under. “The coronavirus pandemic upended the socio-economic lives of millions of people globally and students were not spared either. One of the lessons to come from the pandemic has been the importance of digitisation and being able to reach people anywhere they are. Our digital presence has made it easier for anyone to access any of our resources no matter where in the world they are, allowing them to keep evolving” says Patel. Juta’s digital offerings go beyond simply offering the digital equivalent of the books they publish but also includes EdTech solutions aimed at enhancing learning outcomes with technology, LegalTech tools that empower professionals to become more effective and efficient, and LawTech platforms that help build communities through making the law more accessible. Juta’s proud legacy of empowering generations of South Africa’s finest legal and professional minds continues through the wealth of knowledge found under the publisher’s vast catalogue. “As the Fourth Industrial Revolution takes its effect on the world, digitisation is fast becoming a need rather than something to aspire to. To grow the world’s economies and social wealth we need connectivity fueled by more people having access to knowledge at their fingertips so they can make informed decisions or better capitalise on the changing landscape. By further expanding our digital library, we are contributing to the knowledge banks of people everywhere, embodying the theme of ‘Inspiring Possibilities Together’,” concludes Patel.

A Systemic Approach to the Future World of Law

A personal admission… I’ll start with an admission, if I may? I have finally owned up to the fact that, for the last twelve months, I have been dabbling and failing to fully articulate what it will take to flourish in the future world of work. But, at last, I am finding my voice; clear in my understanding of how leaders, people and organisations will all need to evolve. My hesitancy has been in part due to the fact that the future feels increasingly precarious, like a bank of dark clouds looming ominously before a storm. You see them but you can’t quite tell if they are going to roll in and smother your hope and dreams, or whether they will dissipate, allowing the sun to break through and shine down once more… As Nelson Mandela wisely said: “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” As an optimist, I prefer to frame the future on hopes and dreams, but how will these manifest? As leaders in law, what can we do to take ownership of our personal regeneration and that of our organisations? How do we beat a new path that delivers future success, not only for ourselves but for the communities and environments in which we cohabit? In an attempt to answer some of these questions, I have spent countless hours poring over LinkedIn posts, as well as a raft of well-researched (but perhaps not so well-reasoned!) articles. While immersing myself in the ongoing discussion around the future world of work (and specifically law), I have occasionally put something out alongside everyone else… But it has not been holistic or sufficiently targeted at the systemic challenges we need to unlock. I have come to realise, in the course of my reading, that our wisdom and insight needs time to mature and be codified before it is shared and accepted. With that in mind, I am finally stepping out of the shadows and finding my real voice around the future of work. In reality, this article has been cooking for almost a year as part of a bigger plan which Janet (Founder and CEO of Cognia) and I formed when we first spoke about how to fuse the law-related insight she had amassed through Cognia with the wisdom I had developed behind Fiseq. Wisdom, that is grounded in how we can all do more to connect back to our natural world and apply the thinking of various natural sciences to businesses and people. Recognising that all businesses are not static but are analogous to complex living systems – be that at an organism level through to various animal species that adapt to thrive in radically differing environments. Underpinning all of this was our real-life experience, 25 years of working with wonderful organisations and people who have all evolved and changed, often amidst widespread disorder and disruption. So why now? Well, a new paradigm is clearly needed for law and Cognia’s mission is to be a key player in that evolution, both by creating this paradigm and acting as a catalyst at its centre. Reality check, Joel! Okay, this might only be a small part of solving the overall puzzle, as we are a relatively boutique player in a huge industry, but it is fair to say the impact of CV-19 – the “black swan” which nobody saw coming – has galvanized us towards a tipping point for changing how we work. So, Janet, Joel, and Team Cognia did some thinking on how we introduce this paradigm shift to law. We wanted to tee up a conversation, through a series of LinkedIn articles and points of view on the future world of law; a series that will outline Cognia’s systemic approach to guiding leaders (using a mix of theory and practice) through the capability models they will need to define and build if they are to survive and thrive. With that in mind, Cognia has collaborated over the last year with the heads of in-house legal functions, CEOs, and C-suite business leaders to understand how they are really thinking about, and planning for, the future world of work. To ensure open and honest insight, many of these conversations were held under the Chatham House Rule, meaning much of what is to follow will not be attributed to individuals but is nonetheless deeply personal. Framing the Landscape for a New Systemic Paradigm Let us start with a perspective to set the scene: over the last decade, we have seen an increasing number of companies tasked with transforming their operating models to drive long-term sustainable change. In the legal sector, thinking has been maturing on elements of future capability needs, from requirements for future talent to the maturation of ecosystem partnerships and legal technology. To date, if we are completely frank, there has been little tangible demonstration of real change. With the arrival of CV-19, there is an increasing focus on transformation, as businesses face potentially significant macroeconomic uncertainty and unprecedented levels of sociopolitical upheaval. Conversely, there has never been a better opportunity to implement change, with traditional ways of working already being in a state of flux. In essence the “tipping point” I mentioned above has moved us from a “peace-time” to that of a “war-time” mindset, in the full realisation that how we solved the challenges of yesterday will not solve those of tomorrow. Specifically, traditional, reductionist, approaches, designed for siloed, mechanistic, and controlling environments, are not applicable for an environment which demands adaptability, collaboration, and experimentation in order to evolve. Let us start at the beginning with the most critical wisdom we have gathered: all businesses are unique. They all face a slightly different set of external and internal factors, which provide the context for today’s existence and allow them to thrive in tomorrow’s world. Think about how different penguin breeds have had to adapt to the different environmental ecosystems they cohabit – businesses are no different – what is needed for an Emperor penguin to flourish in Antarctica isn’t what is needed for a penguin on the tip of Southern Africa. Our strong belief is that this thinking is what is needed to support legal leaders and businesses in applying a systemic methodology when determining the most appropriate set of performance levers to be fit for the future of their particular business. This requires leaders to adopt a new paradigm which will be critical in how they envision the future world of work. We have been working with clients in exactly this way, referred to by some of my academic friends as outside-in thinking. Continuing to reflect on environmental factors, it is clear businesses are facing more ominous and inter-connected storms than ever before. CV-19 offers a prime example, as companies continue to have the same pressures as before, plus the complicating factors of operating in an increasingly virtual world with a recession looming on the horizon. Systemically, this means that, before rushing to establish specific future needs (how much of a task will be done by human or machine? what type of legal professionals we will need alongside bots? how can our culture adapt to a virtual world?), we need to build a systems view of the component parts of an organisation, not only for today but also for tomorrow. While developments in technology are an obvious force of disruption, for example the application of AI to legal drafting, there are also underlying organisational considerations which are paramount in the change equation. These range from ESG factors to political and business shifts, as well as an organisation’s legacy capabilities, enshrined through cultural DNA and industry positioning. In short, how many of us accept there are major shifts we need to make to ensure we are not a hostage to the past and can evolve to become more future-fit? Why Is This Essential for Me as a Leader? So, how might you start to apply this thinking? Well, firstly by responding to global issues which have risen to the top of the organisational agenda. The Black Lives Matter movement offers a clear example, highlighting the need for greater levels of inclusivity in the workplace and forcing companies to reflect more generally on the need for a stronger sense of organisational purpose and intent. Business leaders must align and agree how they will shift the needle on these matters to enshrine real behavioural change and promote a set of lived values, as opposed to ‘tick box’ exercises or simple promises of future fairness to all. Business growth and success are going to need to demonstrate regenerative impacts in addition to profit and loss in annual financials. These will need to be sustainable so future generations are assured of a society and environment that meets their needs, and not based on the greed and consumption economics of too many modern businesses. Shareholders and customers will judge sustainable businesses based on how their ethics are enforced across the supplier ecosystem on issues like modern slavery and the company’s carbon footprint. And, if the deal isn’t authentic, shareholders will bail and employees will vote with their feet! What has this got to do with law? Well, the time has come for legal heads and their teams to move beyond conformance and governance to become progressive and regenerative in the leadership of their organisations. This is about setting out a new purpose and social compass for a future business landscape, where legal will have an influential seat at the top table and be more active in setting the agenda and delivering on the ethical needs and values of an organisation. This will require a new type of relationship between legal and the rest of the business. It will require legal functions to shift their talent needs to broader and wider professional profiles. With an outside-in view, and a realisation that a new purpose and approach is needed for legal functions, leaders can focus on a taxonomy of performance levers and subsequent questions they should address for the evolution of in-house teams (which is equally applicable to law firms). These can range from: Why are we in business and what culture do we need? How will this be underpinned by our ethics and values? What will the regulatory and compliance system require for our organisation to maintain its reputation and flourish? How will ethics and risk vs value tolerance levels need to adjust? How will we organise and structure internally and across our ecosystem of legal providers? What hybrid options exist and are we clear on what is core vs non-core to our business? How will I best lead and set the tone for legal, especially in a virtual world where all the rules are still forming? What does the business need from in-house to support critical decision-making and risk mitigation? What decisions will drive the minimization of value leakage and cost management? Finally, how does this all manifest in the Team, Talent, Task and Tech we may need?   Written by Joel Segal, Chief Clients and Markets Officer, Cognia Law

Recording Tips for Legal Professionals

You can use a smartphone to take a photograph, receive a telephone call, or dictate a letter. A smartphone is a jack-of-all-trades, but master of none if you require a super high-quality image, voice transmission, or recording for a client or a colleague. A smartphone function, such as voice recording, will pale in comparison to a dedicated hardware device with firmware designed to record and edit a voice record, such as the Olympus DS-9500 Digital Voice Recorder. The DS-9500 has been designed to operate solely as a professional voice recorder; the device has been designed from the ground up with one goal in mind, to record audio. In today’s ever changing and evolving world of technology people are often convinced (whether though literature or advise from friends/colleagues) that less is more, this is certainly the case with modern smartphones. They are able to do pretty much anything the user requires of them but that’s not always a good thing! Here are 4 reasons why using a professional Digital Voice Recorder for professional audio recording is better than using a smartphone: Have A Dedicated Device The DS-9500 has been designed solely for audio recording; dedicated one thumb recording and playback buttons make prolonged use of the device a breeze. Recording quality (16 kilohertz) and battery life (up to 30 hours recording) are far superior to what can be found on the average smartphone. Added Functionality The DS-9500 has all the editing functionality one would require from a dedicated professional voice recorder; this includes Inserting, Partial Erase and Overwriting. All features that would be unattainable or complicated to operate on your average smartphone. Integrates into dedicated workflows The DS-9500 is supplied with the state of the art workflow software program called ODMS, this allows users to automate the transferring of files via email, FTP and their internal networks to which ever source they deem appropriate, this includes a full integration with Dragon Naturally Speaking software. This process saves time and increases efficiency thereby leading to a long term increase in turnover. Increased Security The DS-9500 records in a proprietary file format called .ds2, all files are encrypted at 256bits and passwords can be allocated to specific files. This means vitally important recordings are kept secure at all times. This is in stark contrast to the normal security levels found on the average smartphone. For further info on the full range of Olympus Digital Devices, feel free to contact Maynards Office Technology on 021-4818300 or sales@maynards.co.za Written by Wayne Melle, National Sales and Marketing Manager, Olympus Audio SA a division of Maynards Office Technology (Pty) Ltd

How Tech Can Change the Legal Sector

In the lead up to the 2020 Legal Innovation & Tech Fest, Eventful People and Africa Legal have partnered to deliver a Legal Community Report offering insight into the current challenges in delivering legal services and the technology-backed innovations being deployed to combat these challenges. This report was compiled in a robust process, commencing with three months of in-depth research by Eventful People, and including in-person research groups in Cape Town and Johannesburg. This was followed by the digital surveying of lawyers across the continent. The findings of the report will now frame the backbone of the cutting-edge agenda planned for the Legal Innovation and Tech Fest which will be hosted at the Maslow Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg on June 8 and 9 2020. Africa Legal is the event’s official ‘Intelligence Partner’. Lawyers and innovators from leading law firms and corporate legal departments such as Adams & Adams Attorneys, BDO South Africa, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Bowmans, Standard Bank, Dentons, Stellenbosch University and Webber Wentzel contributed to the report through participation in the research groups which were designed to understand how technology and innovation in law can drive the profession. More than 100 organisations operating across 24 African jurisdictions engaged with the research process. Seven broad themes were identified as core issues for the legal community to reflect on and these are to form the basis for the upcoming event agenda in 2020: 1. Navigating the Maze of Legal Technology – Past, Present & Future Understanding what technology is currently available, discovering when you use what and cutting through the legal tech ‘noise’. 2. Change Management and User Adoption The vital importance of user experience in legal tech, developing a culture of trust and openness and embracing the power of ‘design thinking’. 3. Embracing Technical and Process Innovation Technical versus process innovation, innovating for social justice and how to identify your business’s innovation champions. 4. The Future of Law, Legal Talent & Rethinking Operating Models Building the skillset to ensure future resilience and relevance, attracting and retaining the talent vital during an era of digital disruption and new legal careers. 5. Legal Technology Regulations, Ethics & Cybersecurity AI and Cloud regulation and ethics, people versus system in the cybersecurity battleground and data protection. 6. Deriving Value from Data & Determining ROI How data can demonstrate ROI, looking beyond pure financial to the experiential and human benefits of tech and using data to understand client needs. 7. Legal Services Pricing Structures & Cost Saving Enhancing law firm and client collaboration, the commodification of the business of law and innovations in pricing. Wendy Bampton, Co-founder of the African Professional Services Group, of which Africa Legal is a subsidiary, highlighted the need for such in-depth research and discussion on innovation in law. “With so much coverage, discussion and ‘noise’ around the power of technology to transform and rapidly innovate the practice of law it’s never been a more important time to garner end-user generated insight.   “Identifying the true realities and challenges across the continent will enable the legal profession to more effectively use technology in the delivery of more effective and accessible legal services.” Through the partnership between Africa Legal and Eventful People, it is hoped that this research, paired with the event itself, will provide an opportunity for robust discussion, analysis and genuine change. Tech adoption by the African legal sector is an absolute necessity but not as challenging as sometimes perceived. The opportunity for individual law firms and legal departments to start implementing technology to drive innovation is already here. Extremely low-cost (and often free) solutions to drive efficiencies, notably in the areas of data management and process mapping, are instantly available. To avoid unnecessary delay, lawyers should consider dropping ‘legal’ from ‘legal tech’ and instead look to long-established business tech which has just as much applicability to the delivery of legal services. Legal Innovation & Tech Fest provides an opportunity to unpack these issues, led by some of Africa’s top legal and tech minds, to network, share knowledge and have some fun! Download the 2020 Legal Innovation & Tech Fest Community Report About the Author Tom Pearson is the Chief Commercial Officer at Africa Legal. He has a keen interest and background in the LegalTech space as well as having held leadership roles at the world’s largest legal media organisations.       This post originally appeared on the Africa Legal blog. 

Eitan Stern from Legalese on the Changing Landscape of Law

At the Legal Innovation & Tech Fest earlier this month, we sat down with Eitan Stern, Legalese’s founder and director, to discuss his thoughts on the legal tech space in South Africa. Legalese is a creative legal agency which has redesigned legal services to suit creative, start-up, and tech-based businesses by making them accessible, affordable and understandable. Tell me a bit about your journey in the legal space, how did you get started? I’ve always been around the creative industry as well as in the legal industry. While I was at law school I had a small music career. I’ve always been far more into public law, but I never really pictured myself being a lawyer. When I finished law school I had a tech start-up, but it ended up being the wrong people at the wrong time and didn’t work out. I’ve always been entrepreneurial, but at the same time I had this legal background and landed up doing my articles at a commercial law firm and I had one of those moments where it just clicked that I really understood commercial law. So, I worked at a commercial firm doing commercial law and had this idea to try and merge these two “lives” I’d been living: one in the creative industry and tech and one as a lawyer in a suit and tie. It was quite easy to get into the music industry because there were not many entertainment lawyers. It was good product-market fit I suppose. We developed ways of pricing it and ways of providing the legal services and I was able to find something that suited me and my personality. Little things like putting a price list on our website, which seemed obvious, was abnormal in the legal industry – law firms just didn’t do that. I don’t know if it was me being innovative or that I just hadn’t been in the legal space long enough to have an idea of how things should be. But I took a stab at what felt right to me and that was it – that was the beginning of Legalese! We provided legal services for creatives and we just kept broadening the definition of what creatives were. Today, the creatives that we deal with are mostly entrepreneurs in the tech industry and SMEs. How do you think South Africa compares to the rest of the world right now in terms of innovation in the legal space? I think in terms of innovation in general, South Africa is this great breeding ground for innovation because there’s so much opportunity here. We’ve got quite a strong start-up ecosystem because our economy and culture leaves room for innovation which wouldn’t be possible in Europe or America – the Fintech industry is a great example of that. I also think job shortages in SA means that there’s more and more reason for people to become entrepreneurs. In terms of legal innovation, it’s amazing to see something like this event. It’s only the second year of the conference and you’ve got a couple of hundred people attending. The extent to which I see real legal innovation and tech is really at conferences like this. From my perspective, I don’t think anyone has really properly cracked a legal tech product which has worked for a small business in a commercial sense. So, for example, in the accounting industry, cloud-based accounting platforms changed the game. In the legal sphere, I haven’t seen anything like that quite yet. But I’m excited for it. What attracted you to this event? There’s something about the way that legal services have been traditionally provided that is outdated. What attracted me to this event is that I’m always interested to meet the other lawyers who are doing things differently, because the extent to which we can grow our businesses, is the extent to which we can show clients that things can be done differently. The more people working together at this, the better. Coming to something like this event is great because you’re able to see other lawyers who are looking at new, innovative ways to be lawyers. It’s great to be around like-minded thinkers. About the Author Eitan Stern is the Managing Director of Legalese. Eitan is a practising attorney with a background in commercial and entertainment law and tech entrepreneurship. Eitan has worked with sectors across the board, from creative, advertising and media, to educational, non-profit and technology industries. He’s an established public speaker, lecturer, mediator, negotiator and DJ.

Legal Research in the Age of AI

Ahead of his presentation at the 2019 Legal Innovation & Tech Fest, we briefly caught up with Juta and Company CEO Kamal Patel to chat about how Juta continues to remain relevant to its customers after 165 years in business, his predictions on the future of legal research and the predicted impact that Artificial Intelligence will have on the practice of law. Hi Kamal, we are looking forward to having Juta and Company as a Premier Partner at the 2019 Legal Innovation & Tech Fest. Can you tell us what it takes for a company with such a long-standing history in legal publishing to remain relevant in an ever-changing digital world? As an independent local player in the legal and academic publishing industry, and one that has weathered successive waves of technological change, it is a unique feat to have endured as we have since 1853. This milestone comes as Juta is poised to enter a new phase of technology-enabled growth. Juta continues to reinvent itself and does so by evolving to meet the shifting legal information needs of a range of users, and by diversifying our core skills and competencies. It’s one thing to be a respected and fondly regarded player in the SA legal information landscape, but it is imperative that Juta’s business remains innovative and responsive to emerging trends. We are constantly presented with opportunities that redefine the value we can offer to the users who rely on our content, which is a hallmark of our rapidly changing legal information landscape. Technology such as AI has begun to radically shape the future of the legal profession and legal research, how does a company such as Juta view this and have you looked at how these needs can be addressed? Trying to predict the future of legal technology is all at once overwhelming and impossible yet also incredibly exciting because it is constantly shifting. Cognitive computing and AI are fundamentally changing the way we work and engage with information, this translates into our being both consumers and co-creators of content. We have also seen that the needs of an increasing diversity of non-legal professionals and corporate users requiring access to legal content to perform their functions have increased exponentially. The legal field has begun re-inventing itself and Juta has stepped forward to answer the call for re-invention by changing how we approach information. We are augmenting our core competence of creating and providing unrivalled trusted content with the power of technologically driven insights that put the power into both the hands and minds of our clients. We are really excited about your presentation where you will be joined by internationally renowned Legal Futurist and Author, Chrissie Lightfoot. Without giving too much away, could you tell us what you guys will be discussing and why it will be beneficial for delegates to attend? During our blended thought-leadership and Juta showcase session, we will share our knowledge, experience and insights on AI, the theory and the practice of cognitive insights and what it will mean for professionals and businesses. We will look at how we can prepare ourselves for the challenges and opportunities ahead. We will also look at the increasingly sophisticated information needs of the legal profession and business and how delivering results that radically redefine the user experience in unique and innovative ways is key to future-proofing businesses. Predictions about the impact of AI, cognitive computing and machine learning technologies on the future business and practice of law inform many of our current conversations. The extent to which these technologies will ultimately be adopted in legal environments will depend on a combination of trusted content, value-enhancing technology and superlative user experience. This blended thought-leadership and Juta showcase session will chart a journey of evolution involving Juta as a trusted content provider, the importance of technology partnering and the need to engage with customer insights and requirements in pursuit of a radically redefined digital future. Join us as we explore new frontiers in legal research, moving beyond legal information solutions into a world of legal insights. Our whistle-stop session will help towards future-proofing the delegates and looking into how businesses will need to bring humans and machines together effectively in order to compete and survive in the very near future. About the speaker Kamal Patel is the CEO of Juta and Company. He is an experienced leader with a career spanning several leadership roles in management consulting, strategy, operations and business development.  His previous positions have included Head of Corporates and Partnerships at Thomson Reuters Africa, Associate Director at KPMG and Management Consultant at Accenture. He has worked within the information technology and communications (ITC), professional services and financial services sectors. His experience in the technology sector is being used to great effect in delivering on Juta’s future digital and content strategies and managing overall business development initiatives. Connect with Kamal Patel on LinkedIn and Twitter

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