Digital advancements have paved a way for legal professionals around the world towards an unprecedented competitive edge and it is no surprise that the conservative legal industry is leveraging innovations embracing digital transformation into their daily work schedules.

The applications and impact of emerging technologies are growing, AI, RPA, machine learning tools have undoubtedly affected every industry and the legal sector is no different. It is a big leap for the legal industry to move from traditional systems to a more digital aspect of working. From digital records maintenance to information extraction using automation, the modern legal profession practices will be revolutionized over this decade.

Here is our pick for the top Digital transformation trends that will redefine the UK legal industry in 2020 and beyond-

1. Artificial Intelligence will take over Legal Documentation
2. Chatbots will be the new Customer Service Manager
3. Cybersecurity will elevate client Confidentiality and Privacy
4. Automation will take over repetitive Tasks
5. Predictive Analytics will furnish valuable Business Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will take over Legal Documentation

Applications of AI in law have been slowly transforming the legal profession. AI has found its use cases in many aspects of the legal industry. Legal Research, Due diligence, IP portfolio content analysis are to name few. Here is how AI will take over the legal industry-

• AI assists litigators perform due diligence to uncover background information. Deploying AI, litigators can perform the tedious tasks of legal research and contract reviews.
• AI tools guide lawyers to analyse large Intellectual property (IP) portfolios for intelligent insights.
• Legal-research is one of the most time-consuming and important activity for legal professionals. This is a manual process, prone to errors especially when it is repetitive and time-bound. AI-powered machine learning algorithms can read through a multitude of documents and extract vital information quickly without errors.

Chatbots will be the new Customer Service Manager

Chatbots are AI-based bots helping users with information like faqs and queries. Chatbot's interactions are based on a database of existing information resources that empower them with basic conversations like offering advice. In the law field, chatbots allow law firms to offer 24/7 customer service on legal matters. Legal chatbots save the invaluable time of attorneys which can be utilized for other critical tasks. Chatbots like ROSS also check legal documents and provide intelligent research insights. Another legal chatbot DoNotPay help tech-savvy users in the United Kingdom to dispute their parking tickets.

Cybersecurity will elevate client Confidentiality and Privacy

Client information security and confidentiality are important pre-requisite of the legal industry forming the base of an attorney-client relationship. Protecting sensitive communications and information is of vital importance in the legal profession.

Cybersecurity defined as the protection of sensitive information over internet-connected systems that promotes the integrity, availability and confidentiality of public and private information, including individual rights and user privacy. Cybersecurity measures help to protect sensitive information and maintain client privacy in an increasingly digital world by-

1. Identifying sensitive information systems.
2. Classifying sensitive information from the junk information.
3. Limiting access to this sensitive information.
4. Securing this sensitive information by encryption.
5. Monitoring sensitive information accessible only to authorized employees

Automation will take over repetitive Tasks

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is another disruptive technology that will impact the legal industry. Document automation is a good automation use case example where based on data inputs Law firms can use pre-formatted templates to create filled out forms. OCR can read and extract relevant data contracts at high speeds saving considerable time and operational costs of legal professionals.

Certain processes like handling meetings and cases could be fully automated with RPA. For example, Wevorce, an AI-based legal technology company specialises in an amicable divorce with its self-guided online divorce solution.

Predictive Analytics will furnish valuable Business Intelligence

Data is an important input to all the predictive algorithms. The Law industry is no different. Law firms store valuable information in the form of case history, client information, the average time taken for each case, and judicial time-frames. This critical information is valuable business intelligence, and Lawyers can use data points from this historical data to analyse trends and patterns.

• Law firms can use legal data to determine the probability of win cases and secure good outcomes for their clients.
• Robust analytics helps to analyse historical patterns on how certain cases have been ruled by courts and specific judges.
• Predictive Analytics can assist to determine how long it may take for a case to settle, and furnish valuable intelligence about your opposing counsel.

In a crux, Digital Transformation is here to stay in the legal industry, revolutionising it for quicker case settlements with predictive analytics, error-free research mechanisms with AI and Automation and valued customer-centric advice with Chatbots. Additionally, technology will ensure that the future attorney-client relationship is more secure thanks to cybersecurity measures.