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“Legal tech” refers to IT services and tools that make legal work more efficient.In recent years, remote work, paperless work, and work style reforms have increased the number of various services and tools, and the area covered by “Legal Tech” is expanding.In this article, we will introduce the background of the growing demand for legal tech, the benefits and cautions of introducing it, as well as the types of legal tech services and tools, and recommended usage scenes.
What is Legal Tech?
Legal Tech is a word that combines law (Legal) and technology (Technology).It also refers to attempts to improve the convenience of work by utilizing IT technology in legal work, as well as tools and services for such work.Why is legal tech attracting attention now?
Background and market size of legal tech attracting attention
Legal tech is not a new word, but the reason why it has attracted particular attention is the recent spread of remote work and work style reforms.Due to the problem of a declining working-age population and long working hours, many workplaces are under pressure to operate efficiently with a small number of personnel.Even in legal-related work, there is a growing momentum to solve problems by utilizing legal tech.
Furthermore, with the spread of remote work since the corona crisis, many companies have rapidly increased the movement to promote remote work even in administrative departments, including legal affairs.Against this background, the size of the legal tech market in Japan continues to expand.
According to the “Survey on the Legal Tech Market” conducted by Yano Research Institute in 2019, the size of the legal tech domestic market in 2018 was 228 billion yen, and is expected to grow year by year to reach 2023 billion yen in 350. was
(Reference: Yano Research Institute https://www.yano.co.jp/press-release/show/press_id/2224)
Legal Tech Service Utilizing AI
Document-related work, which tends to be common in legal-related work, requires manual work such as filing and scanning, and processes such as stamping and mailing paper also take time and effort.The utilization of IT and AI (artificial intelligence) is essential in order to improve the efficiency and productivity of operations that can be handled by a limited number of personnel.By automating repetitive tasks, labor costs can be reduced.
Advantages of introducing legal tech
Legal tech has advantages such as streamlining operations and reducing labor costs.Let's take a closer look at the benefits of introducing the system, such as the efficiency of legal work and data management.
Streamline legal work such as drafting contracts and responding to lawsuits
The birthplace of legal tech is America.In lawsuits in the United States, where the disclosure of evidence data is emphasized, the use of electronic data is increasing due to the recent development of IT.This is the reason behind the advancement of IT in the legal field.In addition to litigation-related work, legal-related contract drafting has also become more efficient due to the spread of legal tech.
Manage and collect large amounts of data quickly and securely
You can manage your documents online.It eliminates the need for space to store paper documents and has excellent searchability, so the speed of finding the necessary information from a huge amount of data is also increased.If it is a suitable SaaS service, it will be managed on the cloud with consideration for security, so there is no need to worry about safety.
Disadvantages of introducing legal tech
Legal tech attracts attention for its merits, but there are also demerits and points to be aware of.
Electronic contracts may not be possible depending on the contract type and business partner.
Depending on the type of contract, there are some that are legally required to be prepared on paper.For example, "investment trust agreement agreement", "documents delivered in specified commercial transactions such as door-to-door sales", etc.Depending on the type of industry, the introduction of legal tech may instead confuse paper and electronic contracts and make them more complicated.IT literacy varies depending on the industry and business partner, so it is necessary to check the situation of the partner company when introducing it.
Management that complies with the Electronic Book Storage Law is required
When introducing legal tech-related tools, it is necessary to know the "Electronic Book Preservation Law", which stipulates rules and requirements regarding the preservation of electronic books.It is necessary to satisfy conditions such as the method, format, and storage location when saving.
What types of legal tech are being introduced in Japan?
There are various types of legal tech, but most of them are related to the efficiency of contract procedures and various document management.Let's take a look at how each of these are actually implemented.
Electronic contract service | Contracts can be concluded on the cloud
An electronic contract service allows contracts to be completed on the cloud.There is no need to create a paper contract, and everything from contract creation to electronic signature and delivery can be completed digitally.From contract creation to storage management, you can proceed collectively and automate the organization and classification.There are various services depending on the type of business and management method.
Document management service｜Documents can be digitized and managed on a server
This is a service that allows you to digitize and manage a huge amount of documents handled by companies, such as customer information, contracts, and the progress of each project.Scan past paper documents, convert them to digital data, and manage them on the server.Realize more efficient management by linking with other systems and services.
Contract review service | You can check the created contract
The contract review service is to check the contents of the created contract.It prevents unfavorable clauses, missing clauses, omissions, etc., so for companies that handle standard contracts, many contract reviews can be performed quickly and accurately.
Support services for registration and various applications | Support for registration and trademark applications
We also provide services that support various applications and applications in corporate activities such as registration, trademarks, and patents.Applications such as company establishment, real estate registration, trademark registration, etc. are automatically generated electronically, so efficiency is achieved.
Lawyer referral service｜Search for and be referred to a lawyer
This is a service that allows you to be introduced to a lawyer who specializes in the relevant field when a problem you want to consult arises.By requesting estimates from multiple lawyers at once, and by specifying conditions such as region, content, and amount, you can streamline your search for lawyers and prevent mismatches.
Dispute/Litigation Services | Dealing with and resolving lawsuits such as e-discovery and forensics
Services that support e-discovery in US lawsuits include services that use IT technology to collect and preserve evidence required in lawsuits, extract relevant documents, and so on.In addition, IT technology is used because digital data accounts for the majority of forensic investigations that collect and analyze the necessary evidence when investigating corporate fraud.
Services for Law Firms | Support for business management of law firms
Our services for law firms support legal firm-specific business procedures related to project progress management and business management.In addition to recording and managing expenses and personnel assignment status, law firms that handle many documents can digitize various document management and contracts.
Efficient e-discovery and forensic investigations using AI
The e-discovery and forensic investigations introduced in the previous section can be said to be businesses that benefit greatly from AI (artificial intelligence) among legal tech.
Why eDiscovery and Forensic Investigation work well with AI
In international lawsuits in the United States and other countries, “e-discovery,” which involves the disclosure of evidence materials, and “forensics,” which conducts forensic investigations in the event of fraudulent corporate accounting and information leaks, are both businesses that handle huge amounts of digital data.It requires not only legal and IT expertise, but also the know-how to efficiently control vast amounts of information.When handling that huge amount of information, we can reduce the labor costs of lawyers and other experts by using not only human power but also legal tech services that utilize AI, which has the greatest strength of processing large amounts of data. The result is significant cost savings.
FRONTEO supports corporate forensic investigation and e-discovery with Legal Tech AI
FRONTEO has been in the legal tech AI business since its foundation.For about 20 years, we have been supporting e-discovery mainly in US lawsuits and forensic work such as fraud investigations of domestic companies.
FRONTEO's AI engine "KIBIT" learns the experience, wisdom, and senses of experts and efficiently analyzes data.In addition to security measures and fraud prevention during normal times, it is possible to handle data quickly and accurately in the event of an emergency. By making full use of KIBIT's algorithms, we identify and process the necessary information from a large amount of data to help solve corporate issues.
[Related article] Forensic investigation of FRONTEO
