Technological and market advancements have made innovation in the legal profession commonplace. In recent years, we have observed new companies, software programs, and trends emerging to further facilitate and optimize the daily routines of lawyers.
But do you know what these innovations in the legal field are? In this article, we list the main new developments in the area, their concepts, and benefits for legal professionals. Check it out!
Technology leads innovation in the legal field.
Innovation in the legal profession needs to be synonymous with ease. Through it, lawyers should achieve several benefits, such as productivity, ease of access, cost savings, among others. In law, various innovations are becoming part of the daily routine of professionals.
Legal Software
One of the main innovations in the legal profession is legal software. Through legal software, lawyers have their entire office at their fingertips. Its goal is to optimize daily activities, such as storing procedural and client information, monitoring lawsuits, direct petitioning, and so on…
It's a type of technology designed to make a lawyer's daily life easier. With various automated functions, it saves time for the firm's team, in addition to providing reports on the performance of each professional and case.
Chatbots
Chatbots, or virtual robots, automatically handle and answer user questions on the firm's websites or social media. The robots have programmed responses for specific questions; otherwise, they direct the service to a virtual assistant.
This simplifies not only office routines, since many issues can be resolved quickly by the chatbot, but also allows professionals to focus their efforts on more complex and time-consuming tasks.
Volumetry and Jurimetrics
With the emergence of new technologies, statistical data from law firms and legal departments can be easily collected and compiled into charts, providing a real-time overview of ongoing activities and processes.
Volumetrics and jurimetrics both originate from statistics applied to law. While volumetrics refers to the current status of cases in a law firm, jurimetrics utilizes data such as the duration of a case, the best times to file an injunction, the likelihood of a judge ruling in favor of or against the judgment, and other factors.
Digital signature
Another technological innovation available to lawyers is the digital signature . It can be used via tokens, login and password, or digital certificate, and confers legal validity to documents, in the same way as a physical document recognized in a notary's office.
Therefore, lawyers can use it to sign contracts, such as legal fees agreements, for example, or to sign petitions in legal proceedings, further facilitating their daily work.
Legal innovations
The legal field is also adapting to the needs of the market and individuals. As a result, new laws are emerging to protect rights that were previously unprotected or inadequately protected.
Below, we list some of these new laws and, consequently, areas of application.
Startup Law
In recent years, there has been a growing number of startups focused on the legal field, such as legaltech or lawtech. Legal professionals have had to update their skills and understand their specific characteristics in order to work for them and operate within their legal departments.
To clarify, startups are technology-focused companies with a scalable business model, whose scope is based on innovation, so as not to be considered a traditional company.
Lawyers who wish to specialize in startup law will encounter specific issues in contract law, tax law, labor law, and also trademark and intellectual property law.
Digital Law
One of the legal innovations that has been expanding is Digital Law, in which the legislator seeks to regulate and protect digital environments, establishing rights and their legal protection.
Thus, some laws have emerged to better protect this sector, such as the Marco Civil da Internet (12.965/14), Lei Carolina Dieckmann (12.737/12) and Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (13.709/18).
The LGPD (Brazilian General Data Protection Law) increasingly demands specialization from lawyers, as they must protect their clients' information, whether in law firms or corporate legal departments. Therefore, it is important to be aware of best practices for data protection and security.
Compliance
Compliance is linked to a company's behavior and culture. Through it, the legal department seeks to adapt all departments to laws, regulations, and internal policies, creating a harmonious and legal environment.
It is important because legal regulations stipulate different responsibilities and penalties for companies in case of non-compliance. Thus, a compliance plan prevents the application of sanctions, minimizing future risks and losses.
From this scenario, it is clear that compliance will require diverse knowledge, ranging from tax and fiscal legislation to labor law, among others. Therefore, the lawyer must have a broad understanding of the areas of law that directly impact the organization.
Teleworking: innovation in the work model
Innovations regarding lawyers' work models have taken on new dimensions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the goal of protecting the health of their employees, many companies were forced to implement a work-from-home system.
Home office
The home office model is one in which employees work from home, that is, they migrate activities previously performed at the physical headquarters to a remote work arrangement. This model offers flexibility to both individuals and companies, which is why new cases and debates arise every day.
In addition to dealing with the novelties in the area of Labor Law, with the holding of virtual hearings and electronic processes, many lawyers have adapted to the home office model, adopting it permanently for their offices.
Coworking
Coworking is a shared workspace among people who don't necessarily work for the same company. This model has gained traction in the legal field, as it offers cost reduction and increased networking opportunities for lawyers and law firms.
Although there are currently restrictions on occupancy in physical spaces due to the pandemic, coworking spaces remain a great option for lawyers who work in cities different from their headquarters and have not adapted to the work-from-home model.
Innovations in the professional's digital presence
Although lawyers face limitations on advertising due to the OAB (Brazilian Bar Association) Code of Ethics, digital media can generate visibility while respecting the ethical principles of the profession. With people's behavior becoming increasingly digital, it is inevitable that legal professionals will migrate to social media, for example.
Within legal marketing , a lawyer can become known through their website, social media profiles, boosting non-commercial ads, and also through content marketing.
Ultimately, all these strategies can be used within the parameters of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and contribute to making lawyers known on the internet, consequently bringing greater visibility to their business and legal practice.
Innovation in the legal profession is only just beginning.
As can be seen, innovation in the legal profession encompasses different aspects, from the emergence of new technologies to the enactment of new laws and regulations on professional activity.
Regardless of trends, it is essential that lawyers remain constantly learning about legal and market developments, in order to stand out from the rest and become a well-rounded and up-to-date professional.
