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.
Legaltech Village 2018: successful independence
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.
Themes in the spotlight at the 2018 Legaltech Village
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.
The API, the keystone
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.
Focus on the conference: “For an open Legaltech”
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!