If you happen to own or work for a legal firm, the chances are that you work with a case management system. Your Fee Earners are using PCs, Laptops and Tablets. The legal industry has been a late bloomer in terms of welcoming technology but is now thriving and many experts in the industry are now predicting an imminent ‘tipping point’ for legal tech.
We are increasingly seeing firms collaborate with software developers to create custom legal solutions as well as using out-of-the-box legal solutions to boost efficiencies. The Law Society also recognises the changing environment and has improved its social media platforms and its own technological offerings as well as promoting and championing legal tech advances where possible.
Then just a few months before 2018 drew to a close, the Law Commission released documentation indicating their wishes to strengthen the validity of electronic signatures. Currently, electronic signatures that require a witness are only valid if the witness was physically present. Legislation is being drafted to allow witnesses to virtually witness the signature by video link, which is the final stage in cementing the power of electronic signatures- all other e-signatures are already legal.
There was even a 17% increase in the use of video technology in UK courts in 2018- technology is increasingly prevalent in every area of law. Of course we also have the client facing apps such as our inCase platforms, to allow people to manage their legal matters from their phones and tablets, signing documents and questionnaires on screen, at their convenience.
Thanks to the radical improvement in the last couple of years, continuous improvement in legal tech is now a certainty. In a country where 78% of adults own a smartphone, you can be sure that the legal industry will incorporate better and even more technology by the end of 2019- and clients will be directing it from their homes and phones.
To speak to inCase about how our apps can make your 2019 a great year, call 0161 410 0800 now or email enquiries@in-case.co.uk