High street solicitors could soon become a thing of the past unless they adapt to new technologies that have finally come of age.
Everyday legals tasks are already being replaced by smart new services, including ROSS Intelligence, a ‘super intelligent attorney’, built using artificial intelligence from the IBM Watson supercomputer.
In other words, the world of legal services is becoming commoditised according to a report released today by The Law Society, which made this rallying call to the industry:
“Firms must adapt or die.”
The industry is not about to disappear overnight, but the report stresses these new developments will hit smaller high street legal firms hardest, which struggle the most with new technology.
According to the Law Society’s report, tech can be a force for good and bad.
For some firms technology is helping to make them more productive, but for many smaller ones it taking away work that can be easily replaced by new automated systems which can handle complex legal issues at a fraction of the cost.
Automation is already here
The effects of automation are already being felt.
24% of law firms surveyed said they were losing client work to new technology solutions and another 42% said they view these new services as a potential threat.
Customer expectations are also changing.
Modern firms must adapt to clients using online services first and calling upon friends on social media for legal advice. One firm reported significant increases in customer enquiries via their Facebook page.
Law may be one of our most conservative industries, but as the Law Society notes, change is finally coming. “Business as usual is not an option for many, if indeed any, traditional legal service providers”.
We’ll just have to wait and see how willing people are to trust computers with their legal matters…
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Click here to read the full report at the Law Society.
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