Boost firm productivity with legal AI
Today, cyber attacks are on the rise in all businesses. And law firms are far from being spared from these protean attacks. Targets of choice for hackers because of the sensitive, confidential or strategic data they handle, lawyers must anticipate to protect themselves effectively. So, what are the best practices to adopt to combat growing cyber threats?
If innovation and LegalTech are considered essential by everyone, many people do not have a concrete answer on the “how”. We have therefore prepared a unique event for you during which we will present a summary of the white paper on dedicated management solutions for law firms. We will also come back to the key steps to succeed in your digital transformation project.
Finally, you will be able to concretely immerse yourself in the office of the future during this exceptional event: equipment, not forgetting professional printing solutions.
As the number of places is limited, don't wait to reserve yours 👉I'm registering
June 20, 2019 from 8:30 a.m.
Hamelin space
17 rue de l'Amiral Hamelin, 75116 Paris
Alexandre Yérémian , Régis Pommade , Pierre Devos ,
CEO of Jarvis Legal Commercial Director of XEFI Agency Director XEFI Paris 15
Maxime Gouin
Sales Director Jarvis Legal
8:30 a.m. – 9 a.m.: Welcome of participants
9 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.: Broadcast of the short film “The Wolf” on computer security
9:15 a.m. – 10 a.m.: The key steps to successfully digital transformation of your firm
10 a.m. – 11 a.m.: Simulation and practical cases in the firm of the future created by Xefi and Jarvis Legal
Malian justice has been faced for several years with a simple problem but with serious consequences: clerks are poorly trained and must put up with working conditions made difficult by a low level of equipment. The notes and hearing reports prove practically unusable in the vast majority of cases. Therefore, dispensing justice on the basis of substantiated and documented cases becomes a challenge for judges.
The country's police stations and gendarmes encounter the same difficulties; the reports of hearings and interrogations are not usable and make the investigation of cases very complicated.
Storage and archiving are also major concerns. The wheels of justice turn slowly, often considerably. Long-term preservation of case files and the documents they contain is essential to ensuring a fair trial. Here too, the stakes are high and the conditions challenging: current facilities and equipment are often unsuitable for storing such documents.
Under the leadership of Mali's Minister of Justice, Mr. Mamadou Konate , a digital transformation project for the justice system was launched. This project centered on a management solution designed to address three major challenges: providing a document digitization solution to centralize all information related to a case file, offering a digital recording and automatic transcription solution, and providing a high degree of customization to adapt to the specific practices of each participating entity.
The ministry then launched a consultation with several software publishers, primarily European, to find an innovative solution that would meet local technical and financial constraints. Jarvis Legal emerged as the fully hosted management solution, open to the ecosystem through its powerful API , and meeting all the criteria set out in the call for tenders.
We spent many hours building the offer that won over the Mali Ministry of Justice. This was a real challenge, both technical (we had to integrate functions that we did not have at the time) and financial (the project was financed by the Netherlands through its Embassy in Mali). However, we were the only publisher capable of responding to all of the requests made.
Our offer naturally included the management solution for lawyers and legal professionals, ranked #1 for the third consecutive year by Décideurs magazine , but also digital voice recorders and high-performance scanners. These devices were specifically selected for their ability to connect to Jarvis Legal via their APIs.
The work was only just beginning for our R&D team. Many challenges had to be overcome to perfectly integrate these different services and make them easy to use for users.
Once the contract was awarded, an initial mission was carried out in the summer of 2017. Its aim was to meet with the people involved in the project and to audit the sites that would be equipped with Jarvis Legal. Although easy to deploy because it is entirely hosted, Jarvis Legal still requires two essential elements to function: an internet connection (a simple ADSL connection is sufficient) and a computer. However, the sites visited were either not equipped or very poorly equipped. The local authorities demonstrated great responsiveness by placing the order for the equipment and internet connections necessary for the deployment of Jarvis Legal.
At the same time, our R&D teams worked on the integration of the APIs for the scanners and digital dictaphones provided as part of the call for tenders. They also worked on the integration of the voice recognition service, capable of continuous improvement thanks to autonomous neural-type learning.
In particular, the challenge of simplifying operations had to be met to ensure that a user could easily scan a document by placing it directly in the right folder. Or he can record a hearing, pleading or deposition and simply drop the file into Jarvis Drive to then start transcribing it, automatically transforming it into a ready-made Word document, all in seconds.
The deployment mission was carried out in January 2019. It took place over a week, in Bamako and the surrounding towns. The Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice of Mali and the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Mali inaugurated the official launch of Jarvis Legal on this occasion.
Beyond the deployment of the management solution, we took care of the training of future users as well as local administrators. We also supported them in the configuration and personalization of their spaces, each site having its own environment. The equipment has also been deployed on each site.
We were particularly impressed by the concentration and involvement of the speakers on site. It is thanks to them that the project was a success and could be implemented in the best conditions.
With Jarvis Legal, courts, gendarmes and police stations can now digitize the documents in the files investigated, save them in a single and secure database and thus share common information which will be consultable by authorized people. The latter will therefore be able to rely on reliable and lasting information to make their decisions.
Court reports and depositions are automatically written and saved in the correct file. This is a considerable time saver for all those involved. The quality of information reaches a previously unmatched level of quality and reliability.
Judges finally have access to complete, detailed, and high-quality information , including an indisputable chronology of events and decisions. The information is centralized, ensuring that any authorized person can consult the documents, which are always up-to-date. Court clerks save valuable time, resulting in an unequivocally high-quality outcome.
This project is only the first brick in the digital transformation undertaken by the Malian government. Other needs can be covered by new innovative solutions such as civil status and census but also land registry management. These two examples are formidable levers for the Malian state which can thus better understand the choices which will engage it in the coming decades.
Innovation, interoperability, openness: these are some of the themes addressed by the Legaltech Village 2018 which took place on November 27 and 28 at the Cité des Sciences, in Paris.
After two editions in partnership with the Paris Open Source Summit , the 2018 Legaltech Village was conceived by the organizers, Open Law and Village de la Justice, as a standalone event. A successful gamble in terms of attendance, the diversity of the ecosystem, and the variety of conferences!
The choice of location was there to recall the profoundly scientific nature of the transformation underway. Both in terms of law and IT, the term Legaltech advances the law thanks to technology.
3.000 visitors attended conferences from dozens of Legaltech startups . 60 exhibitors, more than 30 workshops and conferences, numerous academic players – the entire ecosystem was represented.
It was therefore a mature event that took place, in terms of attendance and quality of debates.
Innovation was, of course, one of the key themes of this edition, as in previous years. Examples include artificial intelligence solutions (such as HyperLex , Juri'Predis , and Doctrine ), cloud-based API solutions (like Jarvis Legal ), blockchain (with DeepBlock ), and platforms offering high added legal value ( eJust for arbitration, DataLegalDrive for Regtech). Innovative value propositions, in both law and technology, are now firmly established. The focus is no longer on the future, but on productivity gains and transformation for the present.
Then, interoperability is another essential theme. Indeed, the diversity of solutions and business practices naturally lead users to wish to interconnect their different tools. For example, a lawyer accesses his legal search engine directly from his business software and has the finalized contract electronically signed. This centralizing interface allows for productivity gains and unparalleled ease of use.
Finally, the concept of openness is crucial. This applies to collaboration between legal professionals – in-house counsel, lawyers, bailiffs, and notaries – and between other professions (IT specialists, accountants, government agencies, etc.) to develop truly tailored solutions. A group like ELS ( Dalloz , Francis Lefebvre, Editions Legislatives), a strategic partner of Jarvis Legal since 2014, has long been committed to this approach. Another of our partners, Seraphin Legal , develops and disseminates technology and innovation throughout the legal profession.
First and foremost, openness is a mindset, a cultural value. It means sharing one's value and technology with others and, in turn, benefiting from their contributions. While some still operate within a closed-door approach (working exclusively with people they control), the trend is decidedly towards working collaboratively within the ecosystem. This is precisely the approach championed by OpenLaw and the eJustice Consortium with their concept of "commons."
The user must be in the center. He wants to decentralize tools, work with each specialized solution, and at the same time centralize access to information and all its tools in a simple way.
To address this, a comprehensive solution coupled with standardized connectors tackles the problem. Jarvis Legal's approach is precisely to offer a cloud-based, API-enabled law firm management solution. The API consists of a connector that allows information to flow automatically from one software application to another.
This allows you to synchronize your emails and calendars, and connect your contact database to a communication solution like Mailchimp. Electronic signatures, RPVA (Virtual Private Network for Lawyers), and dynamic templates are just some of the functional benefits made possible by this approach.
The conference organized by Jarvis Legal, "For an open Legaltech", highlighted this notion of ecosystem and sharing, for the benefit of the user.
Our speakers all shared their desire to work together within the ecosystem. Thus, the Great Witness of the conference, Me Mamadou Konaté, lawyer, arbitrator, former Minister of Justice of Mali, delivered a vibrant plea to promote access to law and justice thanks to technologies.
A summary of this event will be available on our blog very soon.
The 2018 Legaltech Village was therefore a real success. The term Legaltech has established itself as the symbol of an intelligent, rational, controlled digital transformation. The time is no longer for evangelization and conquest. The time is now to deploy and reap the benefits promised by these new technologies.
So, a big congratulations to the organizers and participants for these 2 quality days. A modest proposal for the next edition: foreign players, notably German, American or Dutch, to position French Legaltech in relation to global trends. Openness and interoperability also apply internationally!
In the United States, nearly 60% of lawyers were already using Macs in 2013. In France, only 40% of lawyers have switched to Apple's famous computer. Why this difference, and what are the advantages of using an Apple computer for your firm? Here are three reasons that will convince you to retire your old PC!
The argument often put forward by detractors of the Macintosh is its price, which is often much higher than its direct Windows competitors in the same range.
However, in the long run , an Apple computer proves to be much more cost-effective than a Windows computer. Indeed, the average lifespan of a PC is a maximum of 5 years!
Macs are much more durable . They ultimately prove less expensive to maintain than Windows PCs: fewer bugs, crashes, and viruses, and therefore less risk of data loss. With one, you can forget about your computer repair technician's number.
Macs are known for their increased security. Even if today, with the increase in cyber-attacks and the regular discovery of security vulnerabilities, we must not delude ourselves that all computers are vulnerable.
In reality, it's not that a Mac computer is more secure, but it is less targeted by cyberattacks because of its small number of users, which makes programming an attack less "profitable" for hackers.
Moreover, also well known for its closed and integrated system, the Mac is much more difficult to access for fraud.
Add to that technological performance that is often advanced compared to other manufacturers, and you get a safe and reliable machine.
Don't forget to add antivirus software for extra protection, and you'll be sure your data is safe and secure. There's a good reason why approximately 90% of businesses use Macs!
The final point of contention is the compatibility of software, particularly legal software . Indeed, many programs are not compatible with Macs, simply don't exist for Mac, or are sold at exorbitant prices.
Here, you have three options . First, you can install a Windows machine on your Mac—sacrilege for some, a fallback solution for others. Second, you can use the software already on your Mac, meaning you can look for alternatives that will replace, perhaps less completely, your favorite Windows software.
Finally, last and probably best option, you can turn to a platform like Jarvis Legal.
In this case, there are no more problems with incompatible software: all your daily work tools are in the cloud.
In addition, this type of hosted solution is simple, comprehensive, and easily accessible from anywhere. With it, you combine the advantages of powerful mobile solutions with the high performance of a Mac.
Be careful though, some hosted solutions are not fully compatible with your Mac and prevent you from taking full advantage of its capabilities.
Today, the best option on the market is to turn to Jarvis, which is the only 100% Mac compatible solution.
Switching to Mac requires above all changing your habits: different keyboard, new environment, etc. Don't worry, however, the Mac environment is sufficiently intuitive and ergonomic for you to quickly get used to these changes.
And above all, it is verified and proven: many users who switched to Mac never returned to Windows!
If you are looking for a powerful and intuitive law firm management software for Mac, don't hesitate to contact us!
This article was written thanks to the investigative work carried out by the Village de la Justice among LegalTech companies in many countries.
Thanks to the development of the possibilities offered by digital technology, law and technology have achieved a successful marriage by LegalTechs around the world. However, each country has given birth to very different LegalTechs. What are the inspiring innovations that could arrive in France? Embarking on a world tour of the most innovative practices.
LegalTech companies take on a different form depending on the country where they operate. Their varying stages of development are closely tied to the legal environment in which they function. For example, in China, the opportunities in the legal market are substantial thanks to a large and connected population. Furthermore, LegalTech benefits from government financial support , with investments in artificial intelligence fostering the sector's growth.
State-led initiatives can also be crucial in the area of open data . For example, in Russia , where the government actively promotes open data, this support has fostered a dynamic ecosystem of over 150 specialized companies.
Viewed as a genuine financial opportunity, but also as a chance to modernize the legal world, the most mature LegalTech sector is undoubtedly that of the United States. It is roughly 20 years ahead of France! However, the sector's growth is primarily driven by the American legal system, which is litigation-focused and very different from our own.
It's difficult to compare this with European countries like Belgium, where the market is still in its infancy. The Belgian market is six times smaller than the French market!
Generally speaking, in Europe, LegalTech is unevenly developed: certain sectors such as information and legal knowledge are overinvested while others are struggling, such as predictive justice.
In the US , LegalTech focuses on saving time and simplifying the lives of professionals. It aims to achieve three main things:
– Facilitate the search for documents and access to legal information with a view to litigation
– Work on compatibility between software and technologies
– Host (via the cloud) and store data securely
One of the challenges for LegalTech in France, as elsewhere, is to make technology easier, more user-friendly, and more intuitive to use. In a way, it's about enabling dialogue between humans and machines!
For example, these technologies could become even more accessible if they were available through a single interface. Solutions like Jarvis Legal already exist.
They allow centralized access to all digital tools from a single portal. The user only has to go through law firm management software that brings together all the technologies in one place. This makes it easier to use and manage.
Often several years ahead of us, the United States is now focusing on the major LegalTech challenges of tomorrow. For example, data protection in the face of increasing cybercrime, but also the training of future professionals at universities or through bar associations (with incubators, etc.).
In European countries, in Spain for example, this lack of information among professionals about the opportunities offered by these start-ups is singled out as a hindrance to the development of LegalTech.
Demonstrating to law firms the benefits they could obtain by using a LegalTech is a crucial issue for the future.
Lacking information, LegalTech is sometimes viewed with suspicion, for example in Germany or Belgium. In reality, its image suffers primarily from a lack of communication on the subject. Looking at the American example, we also see that it was exactly the same in its early days in the United States!
Far from being unfair competition for lawyers, it provides daily support by allowing lawyers to focus on their core business.
It will never replace a lawyer because pure legal practice isn't its core business. However, it provides a valuable complement of skills on a daily basis. For example, it saves time on tasks by delegating the most tedious and time-consuming ones to technology. Automation can be beneficial if it's limited to simple and repetitive tasks.
As for the general public , they welcome this new legal ecosystem as the possibility of improved service delivery. Public expectations regarding access to justice and the dissemination of information can be significant, particularly in African countries.
In conclusion, in France as elsewhere, the prospects for LegalTech are certain even if certain sectors will develop while others will gradually be neglected.
France, often cited as an example abroad, benefits from a favorable and attractive environment. This inspiring world tour organized by the Village de la Justice provided an opportunity to examine the practices of our neighbors and also to see our own from a new perspective. So, when will other countries be included in the next world tour?
Little known, the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa is nevertheless one of the major players working for African economic development.
The Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA) is an intergovernmental organization established to create a common legal framework for business law in African countries.
It was created on October 17, 1993 by the Treaty of Port Louis relating to the harmonization of business law in Africa. This treaty was revised on the same date in 2008 in Quebec.
The organization currently has 17 member states : Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Congo, Comoros, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Senegal, Chad and Togo.
OHADA is based on 5 bodies.
• The Conference of Heads of State and Government: this is the political body. Operating on a rotating presidency system (in 2018, Gabon), its role is to define the general policy guidelines to be pursued within the organization.
• The Council of Ministers of Justice and Finance: this is the legislative body. The Council of Ministers has the power to make decisions, oversee institutions, and authorize the budget. It also deliberates and adopts common standards called "uniform acts," regulations, and decisions.
• The Permanent Secretariat: This is the executive body. Headed by a Secretary-General elected for a four-year term, the Secretariat prepares draft uniform acts, regulations, and decisions. It represents the organization in its relations with third parties.
• The Common Court of Justice and Arbitration (CCJA): This is the common judicial body. It takes precedence over national courts. Composed of 13 judges elected for seven-year terms, it hears appeals against court decisions rendered under OHADA law by the courts of member states. It also plays a leading role in arbitration. Above all, it ensures the interpretation of decisions made under the treaty in order to promote the harmonious application of treaty law. With the power to review cases, the Court can rule directly on the merits of a dispute if it deems it necessary.
• The Regional Higher School of the Judiciary (ERSUMA): the School is responsible for training future magistrates and magistrates already in office.
Created to control legal insecurity, this organization aims to achieve a stable climate that gives confidence to economic investments.
How to obtain more legal certainty? The most important project of OHADA is the unification and harmonization of the standards in force.
Thus, the organization's aim is to establish common rules. The ultimate goal is greater clarity in standards, which is essential for simplifying business relationships.
These common and stable rules have the enormous advantage of making the law predictable. A cardinal value for both foreign and African investors, predictability provides reassurance. With this security, business can proceed smoothly without fear of sudden and unpredictable legislative changes.
A real plus for its members, OHADA gives them a competitive advantage over other countries. For example, in 2018 in Madagascar, 70% of private sector actors were in favor of the country's entry into OHADA.
Finally, another major undertaking for the African organization is the training of personnel. Again, with the aim of ensuring legal certainty, the image projected by the justice system must be impeccable and it must demonstrate unwavering independence.
Concretely, in 20 years, 10 uniform legal acts have been adopted covering a broad spectrum of business law: general commercial law, mediation, transport of goods by road, cooperative societies, commercial companies, arbitration, accounting and financial information, collective procedures, means of execution and securities. Of immediate application if adopted unanimously by the Council of Ministers, these uniform acts are therefore distinguished by their speed.
For example, OHADA sought to promote arbitration. In 2017, a uniform act facilitated the enforcement of arbitral awards, making them more effective. Similarly, alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation are being promoted. In 2017, a uniform act even made mediation legally binding, thus filling a legal void that existed in some member states.
In 2010, OHADA agreed on common definitions for certain key concepts in commercial law: the status of trader, goodwill, etc. Not to mention the abundant case law of the Court.
From a purely economic perspective , the benefits of OHADA were immediate. In 2016, the World Bank estimated the GDP of the OHADA region at $275 billion. Since then, this GDP has been increasing steadily and significantly.
Looking ahead, the organization faces numerous challenges in harmonizing African law. One current challenge is to make OHADA law more aligned with digital technologies, particularly through Legaltech. For example, Legaltech could work to make legal services more accessible to small African businesses.
Since May 25, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has come into force. It concerns all public or private organizations which are required to process personal data of residents of the European Union.
In fact, your law firm is subject to this new regulation and you need to comply if you are not already in compliance.
Among your obligations linked to the GDPR, you must in particular carry out a map of your data processing, carry out an audit of your internal systems and ensure that your subcontractors are in compliance with the European Regulation. The latter, also affected by the GDPR, are subject to the same obligations and must carry out the same checks internally as with their subcontractors.
This is what is called the chain of responsibility: each organization subject to the Regulation ensures the compliance of its subcontractor, who in turn ensures that of its subcontractor, and so on.
Your obligations differ if you are a Data Controller or a Data Processor.
Under the GDPR, you are the Data Controller when you collect personal data directly or indirectly for a specific purpose. In this case, you are required to inform the individual about the precise purpose of this data collection, their applicable rights, and you must limit the data collected to a minimum.
Conversely, you are a Data Processor if you only process data on behalf of and under the authority of the Data Controller. In this case, you must implement technical and organizational measures to ensure the security and confidentiality of the data processed on behalf of and under the authority of that Data Controller.
In practice, the majority of organizations carry out processing both as a Data Controller (ie for their own account such as processing related to HR or customer management) and as a Subcontractor on behalf of of their customers.
Under the GDPR, you must take all necessary technical and organizational measures to ensure the integrity, security and confidentiality of the data you collect or process.
So, if you store the data you collect yourself (on your computer, USB stick, external hard drive, local server, etc.) you are considered both a Data Controller and a Data Processor. In this case, you must guarantee the security and confidentiality of your data yourself by setting up, for example, backup, redundancy and encryption of your data, securing access to your computer terminals, etc.
Failure to comply with the GDPR may result in a fine of up to 20 million euros or 4% of your global turnover (see Article 83 of the GDPR ).
If you are equipped with practice management software installed locally (i.e. on your computer or local server), you are therefore 100% responsible for managing the security and confidentiality of your data.
Securing your data can be a long, complex and expensive process but above all very far from your area of expertise. Many lawyers who use locally installed software have suffered data loss following theft, hacking, voluntary (malicious) or involuntary (water damage, fire) deterioration or obsolescence of their computer equipment.
Conversely, if you use 100% cloud-based software, such as Jarvis, you delegate this Data Processor role and no longer have to worry about the direct management of your data's security and confidentiality. Indeed, your data processor will assume this role for you, but always under your authority.
Working with hosted software brings you many other advantages and all at a lower cost. First of all, it gives you access to professional level equipment and cutting-edge technologies. At Jarvis, your data is stored in data centers equipped with high-performance storage bays meeting the Very High Availability (THD) standard and operating on equipment and technologies developed by the biggest players on the market: Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, CheckPoint, VMWare.
Second, it gives you access to a near-military level of security. Your data is hosted in data centers (NB: at OVH in France if you are a Jarvis user) which are equipped with inverters and generators, video surveillance and movement detection systems as well as monitoring personnel. security. Their access is strictly controlled and limited to authorized personnel equipped with RFID badges and/or identified by biometric recognition.
In addition, your data is automatically backed up several times a day and replicated in geographically distant data centers (NB: the OVH data centers in Roubaix, Strasbourg and Gravelines if you are a Jarvis user). Your data is similarly encrypted using a bank-grade encryption protocol with a 4096-bit encryption key.
Finally, hosted software provides the mobility so crucial in today's legal profession. Whether at the office, at home, at your client's office, in court, on the street, or in a taxi, you have access to all your firm's data from any device, at any time.
Although hosted software brings many advantages, it remains your responsibility to check the country in which your data is processed. According to the Regulation, your data must be processed in a so-called adequate country, that is to say a member of the EU or the EEA or any other country benefiting from a data protection mechanism deemed equivalent to the GDPR by the EU. At Jarvis, we have always hosted your data at OVH in France or in your country of practice when possible.
Be wary of software hosted in the USA that processes your data under the EU-US Privacy Shield. This agreement, which replaced Safe Harbor, was recently deemed insufficient by the data protection authorities of the member states (including the CNIL, the French data protection authority, and members of the Article 29 Working Party, or G29). Indeed, under pressure from the G29, the European Parliament called on June 14th for the removal of the Privacy Shield if the US government does not provide stronger guarantees regarding the protection of data transferred to the US by September 1, 2018.
Hosted software like Jarvis provides you with complete guarantees regarding the security and confidentiality of your data, in compliance with the GDPR. Furthermore, it gives you access to cutting-edge equipment, security, and mobility. You can focus on managing your files and communicating with your clients with complete peace of mind. Jarvis takes care of the rest.
Everyone knows bitcoin, the most famous cryptocurrency. However, few people know that bitcoin is actually one of the first concrete applications of blockchain. Difficult to define, this technology will nevertheless constitute, according to specialists, one of the greatest legal innovations to come in the coming years. So, what exactly is blockchain and how can it be useful to legal professionals?
In simple terms, blockchain can be defined as a technology for storing and transmitting information. Its main advantage lies in the fact that it does not use intermediaries . In this respect, it is much more secure than most current systems that rely on "trusted third parties," such as banks, insurers, etc.
Security is therefore the main advantage of blockchain.
It is thus considered tamper-proof because it is based on a transparent system . Everyone can observe and know their neighbor's transactions. Therefore, for the system to be breached, more than half of the users would have to band together to cheat. Based on the assumption that all users are honest, the blockchain reveals one of its weaknesses, even if the risks of intrusion into the system are minimal.
To mitigate the potential drawbacks associated with this idea of transparency, private blockchains exist. The UJA (Union of Young Lawyers) has therefore called for the creation of a private blockchain reserved for lawyers to "combine technology with the ethics of the profession" and "move towards a new generation of documents countersigned by lawyers."
A second advantage of this innovation is its low cost . It is entirely digital and accessible worldwide.
Finally, and most importantly, blockchain can interact with APIs , that is, with a technological platform allowing different software to connect with each other and exchange information.
It is therefore possible to easily integrate it into the daily management of your practice thanks to software offering API integration such as Jarvis Legal.
Jarvis plans to include file timestamping technology DeepBlock, a Legal Tech which offers to associate blockchain functionalities without knowledge and quickly to its digital environment.
Thus, thanks to this new feature integrated into the Jarvis Legal platform , it will be possible to accurately certify the creation date of a document.
This is a major step forward which will make one of the major advantages of blockchain concrete: the creation of proof in advance. One example among hundreds of possibilities: certifying the anteriority of a creation subject to copyright.
Document Authentication
One of the possible applications for legal professionals is the pre-constitution of evidence. Blockchain is already used by the US government for this purpose.
Concretely, the blockchain works by assigning to each document or transaction a unique encryption translated into a “hash”, that is to say an alphanumeric sequence. A single change of even a comma causes the entire string to change.
So let's imagine that a malicious individual decides to modify a page. For the fraud to be successful, he would have to modify all the pages of the chain so that it remains coherent and logical! It then becomes much easier to spot fraud and discourage attempts to unduly modify documents.
Moreover, this encryption or digital fingerprint remains the same for millions of years; once "mined," it no longer changes and cannot be modified.
The fingerprint is secured by proof of the identity of its holder using a password or a blockchain address. This last security links the document to its holder.
Automation of certain contracts
Is the code the new law? The controversial “smart contracts” are also based on the idea of blockchain.
These "smart contracts" are automatic contracts programmed to execute when one or more clearly defined contractual obligations are fulfilled.
For example, a smart contract could offer compensation planned in advance and automatically in the event of a flight or train delay or could be applied to a car rental contract.
The advantages of smart contracts for lawyers are numerous: reduced risk of loss or modification of the contract, better legal security of contracts, but also facilitation of the sometimes problematic execution of some of them.
Obviously, smart contracts must be under the control of a legal professional. They are only possible in simple cases and without particular difficulties and are in no way intended to replace the lawyer and traditional contracts!
Finally, it should be noted that an order facilitating the transmission via the blockchain of certain unlisted financial securities was adopted on December 8, 2017. This is a first in Europe which gives the beginnings of legitimacy to the system and paves the way for good prospects for the future.
An emerging discipline in recent years, Legal Design offers particularly interesting perspectives for legal professionals.