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.
The best LegalTech innovations in the world
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.).
How are LegalTechs perceived abroad?
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?