Thanks to ever-improving technology, legal networks don’t just connect law firms across the world with each other, but are also able to share information and resources with thousands of lawyers and their clients. Leading legal networks share their current technological offerings, and offer a glimpse of what the future holds.

Almost all parts of the legal industry, from law firms to in-house legal teams to alternative legal service providers, are incorporating technology in their services today, and legal networks are no different.

“Just as it has in other industries, technology is disrupting the legal industry,” says Tanna Moore, president and chief executive officer of legal network Meritas. “Technology enabled Uber to ban together independent drivers into a network that is challenging the taxi model. It allowed Airbnb to connect individual property owners to successfully take on the hospitality industry. In the legal industry, technology is powering the efficiency of independent law firms collaborating across the world to serve clients.”

With thousands of member lawyers across the world, technology is important for global legal networks to better connect members with each other, whether for local law expertise, referrals, or sharing of information and resources.

The Minnesota-headquartered Meritas, which has 7,600 lawyers at 180 member firms, uses technology to collaborate and share knowledge in real time, give members access to a rich library of information and enable the member attorneys within the network to quickly and easily locate other member attorneys with specific expertise that’s needed by their client.

“Technology enhances the collaboration between independent law firms inside of legal networks, which accelerates not only the acceptance, but the trust and demand for network services among clients globally,” says Moore.

The legal network uses online communities to enable and encourage collaboration within various practice, industry, management and marketing groups of member law firms, allowing for sharing of information through blogs and discussion forums, FAQs and searchable repositories of information.

It also actively uses Google search, which is integrated into its website for users to find lawyers with specific areas of expertise within the network. “Members can dig deep into the network with more robust capabilities to find particular knowledge and experience for clients,”

Moore explains. “And companies can search for and engage legal resources in any corner of the world with the peace of mind that comes from knowing we have already assured the quality of their expertise and service.”

For Nigel Rowley, the chair of Mackrell International (MI), a UK headquartered legal network with 4,500 lawyers at more than 90-member firms, one of the most influential changes that technology has facilitated in recent years is the ability to share knowledge and communicate directly to clients at much greater speed.

“The expanding capability and accessibility of smartphones has changed the way that professionals interact with each other while also leading a market change in how clients want to interact with their lawyers,” says Rowley. “Client accessibility is key to the success of any firm, and the expansive communication options available allow MI members to adapt their offering to the preferences of the individual, thereby offering a more personal service.”

This easy and quick accessibility to legal advice is crucial for clients. A recent report by Interlaw, a California-headquartered legal network of more than 7,000 lawyers at over 80-member firms, revealed how the current generation of global clients are frustrated by the lack of consistency offered by traditional international law firms.

“Effective collaboration is the key to delivering what today’s multinational clients are looking for, and technology has a significant part to play, facilitating seamless working between lawyers based in different jurisdictions to deliver a high quality and efficient global service,” says Michael Siebold, the Frankfurt-based chair of the legal network.

It also boasts a broad range of technological offerings. Interlaw developed a digital directory of member firms for quicker and easier access to lawyers across the world, thereby improving cross-firm referrals. It also has a bespoke client management and feedback system to better facilitate cross-member working and client feedback.

The legal network even has an app with which users can request legal assistance on the go anywhere in the world with the app’s “I need a lawyer” functionality. And last year, Interlaw launched a members-only portal, which operates in the same way as an intranet, providing a central resource to support member firms’ international credentials, including marketing collateral, pitch documents, brochures and press articles that member firms can use in their own international marketing and business development initiatives.

Meanwhile, Lex Mundi, the Texas- headquartered legal network giant with 21,000 lawyers across 160-member firms, is another that offers technological tools, particularly those that leverage the size and breadth of its vast network. For example, Lex Mundi uses software called HighQ Collaborate to connect firms when working together on behalf of a client and to share what they know about an issue or question across firms, as well another called HighQ Publisher to provide clients of member firms with tools to get information about key legal concepts and issues.

Most recently, it launched a Cybersecurity Assessment Tool using U.S.-headquartered legal technology firm Neota Logic’s system software to help member firms identify opportunities for improvement.

AI POTENTIAL

When talking about technological offerings, we, of course, have to talk about the hottest tech trend in the legal industry right now: artificial intelligence.

To their credit, legal networks recognise the urgency of this, and are moving quickly to get their members up to speed. “AI is certainly high on our agenda and has the potential to bring widespread efficiencies to the delivery of legal services,” says Interlaw’s Siebold. “Our member firms are most interested in and focussed on how AI – like all other technologies – can best be deployed to improve and enhance the client experience.”

“Through our various forums, events and special business teams, we are gathering best practice in this fast-developing area of technology to share across our network,” he adds.

AI is a recurring topic at Meritas membership meetings. Its board of directors is evaluating the opportunities it poses for the legal profession, member firms and for the Meritas network as a whole, shares Moore. “Many Meritas member firms are early adopters of AI and they actively share their knowledge and perspective with other members.”

Lex Mundi’s senior advisor of technology and innovation, Gordon Vala-Webb, notes a huge range of use cases and business cases for AI-based technologies, and is also seeing the number of vendors and products – along with their capabilities and pricing – shifting very rapidly. Given this uncertainty – and opportunity – Vala-Webb says Lex Mundi is taking a three-pronged approach.

The first step is to work towards smoothening the path. “We select innovative and practical technologies to bring to the attention of member firms through webinars, product demos, and presentation at our events,” says Vala-Webb.

The second is to experience the change, partnering with vendors to engage member firms in the use of these technologies so they can experience the impact of these technologies. “Our use of Neota Logic is one example, and we will have more announcements in the next few months,” he adds.

And the third is firm-to-firm collaboration, supporting and accelerating firms’ AI-based technology efforts by connecting those firms together to leverage each other’s learnings and look for opportunities to purchase software together. “The result is that member firms will be able to accelerate their use of AI-technologies while avoiding unnecessary costs,” explains Vala-Webb. “And, in certain cases, be able to share any AI-system training effort that might be required.”

One of the most useful tools for AI that MI recently identified has been contract management systems, which have the potential to greatly improve the speed with which large quantities of documents can be compiled and analysed.

“Transactions referred between MI members are often time critical and the ability to use artificial intelligence to conduct a first-pass review of documents is invaluable when managing the allocation of time in a transaction,” says Rowley.

“Additionally, the various sizes of MI’s members means that software based around AI creates opportunities for firms to expand their capabilities without significant expansion of their physical footprint.”

SHARING STRATEGY

In any global network with member firms across the world, there will be variations among law firm members when it comes to the usage of technology. So how can legal networks help to bring members who are lagging behind in technology up to speed in this regard?

“It is true that some firms have more experience with certain technologies, so we work hard to make it easy for firms to share their experiences with others through webinars, our HighQ Collaborate site, and through building relationships and connections by face-to-face meetings,” says Lex Mundi’s Vala-Webb. Sharing is also the strategy for MI. “Rather than focussing on the particular technology members should or should not employ, MI focuses on the strategies and goals of its members as a whole to influence the technology it uses and recommends,” says Rowley.

Knowledge sharing between members is key to this approach, as it allows technology usage to develop with the requirements of the network, best shown through webinars as a way of providing legal updates at a global level. “Allowing for technology use to grow organically ensures that members can adapt internally at their own pace, while broadening the potential for new work by making other members aware of their expanded capabilities,” he explains.

“Equally, one of the benefits of network membership is the ability to share knowledge and experience,” he adds. “The regularity of member contact and the closeness of the personal relationships within MI – including up to four physical meetings per year – is a great knowledge sharing opportunity allowing the jurisdictions where the use of technology is further advanced to share the benefits, and the hindrances, with all members for their benefit.”

Meritas has a quality assurance programme to reduce and eliminate disparities among its law firm members. “Today, those standards increasingly address the use of technology,” notes Moore. “The Meritas cybersecurity standards are an excellent example of this. Meeting the standards will be required for all member firms so that, as a network, we can uphold our commitment to consistent quality legal expertise and client service throughout the world.”

MORE TO COME

Even with all these technological offerings already available, legal networks are not resting on their laurels. MI, for example, has mobile technology on its radar, as it would broaden appeal to users who prefer to engage with professionals on a single device, without the need for substantial paperwork. “In the future, utilisation of this type of technology by MI’s members could significantly increase the speed at which members refer matters and exchange documentation, particularly where potential clients approach MI to request assistance in multiple jurisdictions,” Rowley explains.

“Enhancing connectivity and accessibility for clients is a straightforward way to improve client contact,” he adds. “This technological innovation could enhance the client experience and thereby improve client retention, serving to benefit MI’s members where such retained clients are introduced to other members of the network.”

Another development that law firms are watching is the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and legal networks are taking it very seriously. MI is considering the implementation of client portals within the websites of member firms to enable the secure exchange of documents between lawyers and their clients in light of the impending General Data Protection Regulation. “This could significantly improve how client relationships are managed and kept secure,” Rowley notes.

Meanwhile, Meritas created a Data Protection and Privacy Law group two years ago, which is a cross-representation of data protection experts across the EU. “Meritas has created targeted GDPR references for affected businesses, such as blogs, an illustrative video and other resource materials, and presented GDPR information and insights to numerous affected general counsels to date,” Moore explains.

With cybersecurity increasingly more important, Meritas also provides training and shares resources and knowledge among its member law firms on cybersecurity to understand the complexities of the issue, on a global scale.

“We are also developing cybersecurity standards for all Meritas member firms,” notes Moore. “The standards, which we expect to unveil later this year, will become part of Meritas’ existing rigorous quality programme. The quality programme is what distinguishes the Meritas network.

The highest standards for quality are used to evaluate incoming members and for required benchmark evaluations to retain membership. Adoption of the Meritas cybersecurity standards will be required as part of our overall quality program.”

Lex Mundi’s focus is on developing a modular and flexible client-service platform that leverages technology while including a “wrapper” of other capabilities such as professional development, project management methodology, and governance.

“Such a platform will provide clients with a seamless delivery of legal services across different jurisdictions – and member firms – that is both integrated into the legal department and provides for continuous performance monitoring and optimisation,” explains Vala-Webb. “Where appropriate, it will include AI-based categorisation and data extraction, document automation, budgeting and reporting dashboards, and team chat-based conversation.”

“Member firms benefit by having a compelling answer to clients’ needs for obtaining the best local legal advice while taking into account clients’ global risks, all the while helping legal departments deliver more with the same – or less – resources,” he adds. “The result of that is happier clients and more work for our member law firms.”