Each day, the accomplishments of artificial intelligence multiply. AI recently solved Schrödinger’s equation in quantum chemistry. It regularly diagnoses medical conditions, pilots jets and fetches answers for our everyday queries. And now, it might dance better than you do.

The ever-improving abilities of AI are having marked positive impacts on a wide variety of industries and professions – especially corporate legal departments and the in-house counsel and legal operations professionals that run them. So, what can corporate legal professionals expect from AI in 2021?

Ari Kaplan, attorney, legal industry analyst, author, technologist and host of the Reinventing Professionals podcast, recently interviewed Nick Whitehouse, General Manager of the Onit AI Center of Excellence. Nick, who is the 2019 IDC DX Leader of the Year and Talent’s 2018 Most Disruptive Leader Award (as judged by Sir Richard Branson and Steve Wozniak), shared the AI trends that general counsel and legal operations professionals should keep an eye on for 2021, including:

  • Accelerated adoption – The pandemic has greatly affected the use of AI, spurring businesses and their corporate legal departments to recategorize it from curiosity to necessity. For example, 2020 saw many companies having to quickly reassess large numbers of contracts (such as leases). Legal AI allowed in-house teams to quickly assess their contracts and take action, helping their businesses survive and thrive.
  • Banishing the black box – Legal departments have historically been perceived as black boxes – work goes in and decisions come out slowly with little transparency. AI reduces the time spent on individual transactions, increasing transparency by enabling consistent use of playbooks and the ability for the business to self-serve.
  • Focus on solving in-house challenges  – The technology has shifted from a project-based law firm focus toward products that are centered on solving in-house problems like contract lifecycle management and AI contract review. With 71% of lawyers saying they are mired in manual tasks, these AI products can drive a massive amount of value for corporate legal.
  • AI in the near future – In addition to the shift from law firm focused AI services to more in-house based services, corporate legal can expect a greater blending of AI into contract lifecycle management and third-party review as well as AI-assisted document automation and billing management.

Visit the Reinventing Professionals website to listen to the podcast. You can also find it (and subscribe) on Apple podcasts.


Contract review and drafting can take up to 70% of an in-house legal department’s time. The process is often painfully tedious and repetitive – especially if it is paper-based or spread across multiple systems like emails and private drives. Without a more effective digital enablement, the process to review and draft contracts is slow and inconsistent, requires enormous attention to detail and continues to be prone to costly errors. These challenges directly impact a company’s ability to reach favorable contract outcomes and achieve business objectives.

With ever-increasing pressure on legal teams to do more with less, enhancing contract efficiency through automation and the latest technologies represent a significant opportunity to improve business performance.

Artificial intelligence has the power to deliver significant productivity gains and allow lawyers to utilize their skills, experience and talent on higher-value business objectives. Onit undertook a study of its AI for the pre-signature contract phase, ReviewAI, to determine just how much it can help and found commendable results (you can read more about them here.)

Key takeaways from the study include:

  • Testers found that ReviewAI accelerated contract reviews and approvals by up to 70% and increased user productivity by more than 50%.
  • New users were immediately 34% more efficient with their time and 51.5% more productive. The average midsize company employs 28 lawyers who review 4,850 contracts annually. Unlocking more capacity – up to 51.5% – means those same lawyers can now process 2,498 more contracts annually. It’s like adding nine lawyers to your team.
  • The team leader, a senior lawyer, was able to reallocate 15% of his time from contract work and team management to higher-value activities.
  • The efficiency and productivity gains from using ReviewAI increased over time, allowing corporate legal departments to optimize team performance, reallocate resources to engage the business better and reduce the amount of contract work handled by external counsel.

To learn more about artificial intelligence and contract review and drafting, read about the study’s results.


It is safe to say that 2020 was a challenging and unprecedented year across all industries, not least the legal sector. Yet our altered ways of working have spawned new innovations and different ways of thinking about “business as usual.” For the legal sector, AI has become a key part of many lawyers’ arsenal, allowing them to rapidly respond to new challenges such as remote working, increased market and economic volatility and complex client demands. As we approach 2021, it is clear that this momentum in the legal sector to embrace all things tech shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.

‘Technophobia’ is no longer a viable excuse for lawyers

The pandemic has accelerated the pace of technology adoption generally, and has also opened lawyers’ eyes to the possibilities that advanced technology such as AI can herald. Technology has moved from being a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘must have’, allowing businesses and lawyers to keep pace with marketplace changes whilst also driving profitability and growth.

Let’s take the example of M&A due diligence- whilst years ago, the number of contracts to review for a transaction was a lengthy yet reasonable task, an explosion in enterprise data has rendered this process practically unfeasible. Indeed, hiring armies of junior lawyers to manually trawl through endless volumes of contracts in order to find a crucial ‘Change of Control’ clause is increasingly becoming recognised as a waste of resources and an inefficient use of legal talent.

And this is where AI comes in: Luminance is able to rapidly read and form an understanding of legal data, instantly surfacing crucial clauses, datapoints and anomalies at the click of a button. Not only does this instil lawyers with the greatest confidence that nothing has been missed in their review, but by enabling them to cut through the admin-heavy, mundane work, advisors are once again able to focus on adding value where it matters: the analysis. As Gavin Williams, Partner at Holland & Knight said to me at a recent Luminance webinar, “Luminance allows young lawyers to push skills faster, resulting in better quality and better work product which is closer to being ‘client ready’ than ever before.”

Another example is the sudden switch to remote working in 2020. With many offices now remote working for the foreseeable future and some organisations reimagining how offices will function after that, it seems that increased remote working or flexi-working is here to stay. Luminance’s easy cloud-deployment and advanced collaboration tools such as the ability to allocate tasks and track work progression are invaluable for the seamless coordination of legal teams. We have had customers such as VdA, Norburg & Scherp and The 36 Group use the tool to coordinate teams in connection with large review projects.

Clearly, the real, practical value of AI can no longer be overlooked and as we enter 2021, it is clear that AI is integral to the infrastructure of all organisations.

Clients expect more- tech is part of the answer

Client demands and expectations have always been high on the agenda for law firms yet increased economic volatility and steepening competition will once again push these demands into the spotlight in 2021. Indeed, recent research by Luminance found that decreased client budgets are the biggest concern for senior lawyers. Clients are increasingly savvy as to the technology that is available to lawyers as well as the benefits in terms of efficiency, insight and cost.

This year, for example, the Dubai office of Dentons were tasked with a time-sensitive review of 200 documents. This number quickly swelled to over 180,000 documents, all of which had to be reviewed in just two weeks. After consulting with their client, Dentons opted to deploy Luminance and were able to review the entire dataset within the timeline set by the client and with huge cost-savings. Results like this show that by embracing technology, lawyers are able to not just meet but exceed the expectations of their clients and this is something that we predict will continue far into 2021.

The year that in-house teams embrace technology

The last few years have seen a growth in the role and scope of in-house legal professionals. Indeed, in-house lawyers are not just subject matter specialists that are only to be consulted on specific legal matters but are instead now expected to play a significant and proactive role in wider legal matters, including ensuring compliance, examining potential business risk and being key members of the corporate decision-making team.

Consistent with this trend, this year there has been a 65% increase in the uptake of our technology by in-house teams in order to streamline work such as the review of outside counsel guidelines, employment contracts and regulatory compliance reviews in the face of data protection regulations such as the GDPR and CCPA. We expect to see a continued acceleration in this trend in 2021, with these lawyers becoming more tech-savvy, efficient and sophisticated in the projects they manage in-house in order to better control costs during uncertain economic times. Recently, we welcomed Featurespace, a market-leader in enterprise financial crime prevention software, as a customer in order to help the company’s in-house legal team to gain more control over their in-house processes.

2021: The year that AI got real in the legal industry?

This year has marked a turning point for the legal industry’s adoption of AI technology. At Luminance, we have seen an astonishing 40% increase in the uptake of our technology since the beginning of the year, with Luminance’s customer base now reaching nearly 300 firms and organisations. In 2021, AI will be a fundamental component of every law firm and business and to that end, the future of the industry.


More than 80% of lawyers now view technology adoption as essential for the future of their firm and three quarters view the future adoption of AI specifically as key. Yet in increasingly uncertain economic times, the return on investment or ‘ROI’ of any outlay an organisation makes is going to be highly scrutinised. Crucially, lawyers need technologies that they can trust to get the results they need, not only to maintain business stability but also to take their work to the next level.

Take on more projects with Luminance

The legal and business marketplace is becoming increasingly competitive: law firms and in-house legal departments are tightening their belts to maintain profitability while clients are demanding increased expertise, efficiency and transparency from their lawyers.

Luminance brings machine learning to the legal profession, uniquely combining supervised and unsupervised machine learning to read and form an understanding of data, instantly surfacing crucial information such as clauses and datapoints. By reducing the amount of time and legal professionals needed to find the key data within documents, lawyers can choose to spend more time on higher-value analysis work, or can instead redirect resource to undertake additional projects.

For example, Luminance customer, Burness Paull, is using the Luminance ‘Discovery’ platform to conduct DSARs (Data Subject Access Requests) arising from data protection regulations like the GDPR. Without Luminance, the resource needed to fully comply with each DSAR means that the service is often not economically viable for lawyers to offer their clients or, in the case of in-house teams, without the support of external counsel. Yet with the assistance of Luminance’s technology, firms can dramatically reduce the time spend on each review. For instance, the first time that Burness Paull used Luminance to conduct a DSAR of 6,000 documents they saw 50% time savings, thus ensuring profitability when offering this service to their clients.

Meeting the spectrum of client demands

Not only can Luminance help lawyers to attract new business, but it can help provide an enhanced service to existing clients, too. By using flexible machine learning technology, Luminance can be used across a wide range of projects, enabling them to proactively respond to new challenges and in turn, expand their client service offering. For example, ‘Big Four’ accounting firm, Ernst & Young (EY) Law Belgium are using Luminance’s flexible technology to help their clients with Brexit compliance and now LIBOR transition projects. As Stéphanie De Smet, a Corporate Lawyer at EY Law Belgium, put it, “With many of our clients concerned about the impact and cost of a LIBOR review, Luminance’s powerful machine learning is fundamental to our legal practice.”

Flexible pricing for lawyer and client

Luminance has a range of commercial models from pay-as-you-go model to subscriptions options for larger data usage. This ensures that the platform can benefit firms and organisations of every size, from boutique law firms right through to the Big Four. Further, Luminance requires little-to-no set-up time before use, with most customers up and running within a matter of hours. Indeed, with Luminance’s intuitive and easy-to-use system, no bespoke user training is required and legal teams can see real results from day one.

When it comes to recouping their initial outlay on technology spend, some law firms choose to pass on the cost of their investment directly to their clients as a technology fee. Other firms choose to pass on some of the cost savings to their clients, offering competitive pricing in order to win additional business: one ‘Global Top 100’ law firm recently used Luminance to conduct a review of employment contracts and were able to save their client $800,000, representing an impressive 90% cost saving. And other firms might choose to maintain the same fees, keeping lawyers working the same hours on the project but with more time spent on analysis rather than sifting through the data. The range of ways firms might maximise the value of their technological investment is covered in our white paper.

Try Luminance for free today

Legal professionals are at a pivotal point- with advanced technology available and more accessible than ever, lawyers have tools at their fingertips that will allow them to do more with less resources, keep up with the accelerating pace of their business and use time more effectively. Luminance offers a two-week free pilot today so users can the the transformative potential of Luminance’s technology at work in their organisation.

For more information, please read the Luminance Business Case White Paper or contact info@luminance.com.


Delivering legal technology and service provider announcements to the media

Minneapolis, MN, and New York, NY – January 8, 2021 – Edge Legal Marketing announced today that its virtual press room, The Edge Room, is open for Legalweek(year) 2021. Beginning today, exhibitors and sponsors may create their company’s profile page, featuring their logo, recent press releases, breaking news announcements, articles, white papers, images, social profiles and other marketing materials they wish to share with legal professionals and media virtually attending Legalweek(year), before, during and after the event.

The Edge Room enables members of the media to more easily plan and prioritize briefings and coverage of breaking news. Media representatives interested in covering Legalweek(year) can apply for a press pass here

The Edge Room includes features for sponsors, exhibitors and prequalified members of the media such as:

  • Expanded reach via social sharing to The Edge Room’s LinkedIn and Twitter pages
  • Increased opportunity for featured mention in The Edge Room’s Daily Alert emails that reach nearly 9,000 legal professional subscribers
  • Automated event hashtagging for social media so your company is included in the Legalweek(year) conversations
  • Increased brand exposure by including posting to The Edge Room blog
  • Easy image uploading, including bulk uploads

Amy Juers, founder and CEO of Edge Legal Marketing, states, “The Edge Room has been brought to you by Edge Legal Marketing since 2007, but this is the first time it is being deployed for a virtual Legalweek-type of conference. Our goal has been and will always be to get breaking news and conference announcements in front of legal tech media contacts. This service is free to exhibitors and sponsors and provides the best avenue for getting important company news into the right hands.” 

Legalweek(year) 2021, Virtual Series 1, will be held February 2-4, 2021, and will bring together thousands of legal professionals for a series of five innovative virtual legal events that tackle the changing legal landscape and provide actionable insights to help legal leaders restructure, rebuild and reinvigorate today’s law firms and legal departments.

The Edge Room is a modern take on the traditional trade show press room. ALM partners with Edge Legal Marketing to offer this convenient service to conference exhibitors and prequalified members of the media. 

Edge Legal Marketing grants login credentials to qualified members of its proprietary legal and mainstream media database, providing exclusive access to previews of exhibitors’ announcements and company information. 

The Edge Room also includes additional exposure for exhibitors via its social media outlets on Twitter (#Legalweek21, #Legalweekyear, @Legalweekshow) and LinkedIn, or individuals and companies can follow Legalweek(year) via Twitter. Press releases can be automatically posted on The Edge Room blog, which is configured to help companies boost their social media presence and search engine optimization. 

If you have questions, please email Tanya Amyote at tamyote@edgelegalmarketing.com

About Legalweek

Hosted by ALM, Legalweek(year) will bring together thousands of legal professionals for a series of five innovative virtual legal events that tackle the changing legal landscape and provide actionable insights to help legal leaders restructure, rebuild and reinvigorate today’s law firms and legal departments. The Legalweek(year) virtual series aims to serve as the anchor for the legal community during an unprecedented time, as well as a guide throughout the coming year to inform legal professionals of emerging trends, cutting-edge legal technology and expert analysis of the tectonic shifts in the industry. Please follow us @Legalweekshow.

About ALM

ALM, an information and intelligence company, provides customers with critical news, data, analysis, marketing solutions and events to successfully manage the business of business. ALM serves a community of over six million business professionals seeking to discover, connect and compete in highly complex industries. Please visit www.alm.com for more information, and visit www.alm.com/events/ to learn about our upcoming events. Please follow us on Twitter at @ALMMedia.

About Edge Legal Marketing

Edge Legal Marketing delivers marketing and public relations expertise to entities in the legal market. From startups to global operations, companies and law firms trust Edge to facilitate and nurture strong relationships with media, event and association stakeholders and to convey their stories strategically to the legal market. Through igniting relationships with legal reporters and analyst firms or increasing brand awareness in a new market segment or industry, Edge has the skills and depth to be a trusted advisor. Edge is an expert at filling the lead pipeline, helping pull prospects through the marketing funnel and building loyal advocates and followers. Edge leverages traditional and unique strategies that yield the best results for their clients’ bottom line. Edge is the largest and most experienced full-service global legal marketing and public relations agency. To learn more visit www.edgelegalmarketing.com


Minneapolis, MN – April 22, 2020 – Accounting Edge Marketing, award-winning public relations and marketing firm serving organizations in the accounting industry, announced today a strategic partnership with independent news and information source Insightful Accountant and Tax Practice News.

Accounting Edge Marketing will provide smart, strategic and practical content for Tax Practice News, the sister publication to Insightful Accountant. Topics covered include practice management, practice development, technology, workflow and other topics that are relevant for today’s tax professionals focused on growing their businesses and serving their clients. The newsletter is delivered once per week to tax professionals across the country.

“The team at Edge is thrilled about this new partnership,” shares Amy Juers, CEO and founder of Accounting Edge Marketing. “Edge’s award-winning account managers and public relations experts have worked in-house for accounting firms, vendors or both. We have gained unparalleled insight, enabling us to assist our clients with intelligent, nimble and multifaceted services, including content creation and design, marketing and PR. We look forward to bringing unsurpassed content and services to Insightful Accountant’s readers and developers.”

“This relationship will help fill a big need with our advertising base since content marketing and design services are an essential part of everything we offer,” states Bob Allard, VP of business development and partner at Insightful Accountant.

“This partnership is the brainchild of Bob Allard,” Gary DeHart, publisher and managing partner at Insightful Accountant, shares. “He works with the large majority of our clients and is regularly asked whether we can assist or recommend a PR and marketing firm for short- and long-term projects. We were impressed with the level of service Accounting Edge Marketing has provided clients when we have worked with them in the past, so we look forward to working with them to bring their services to our customers in this strategic partnership.”

Since 2007, Edge has provided services to its clients by leveraging its agency expertise and strategic relationships, becoming the largest and most influential agency in the accounting channel. This partnership with Insightful Accountant further solidifies Edge’s commitment to increasing its presence and brand recognition as an industry leader in the accounting market.

Subscribe to Tax Practice News here to keep up to date on the latest technology, laws, regulations and news going on in the tax branch of accounting.

 

About Accounting Edge Marketing

Accounting Edge Marketing, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, delivers marketing and public relations expertise to clients in the accounting market. The company helps B2B organizations promote and sell their products and services to audience segments within the industry, including accounting firms and organizations supporting the accounting market. As a full-service agency, Edge provides strategic planning, public relations, marketing and e-marketing action plans, alliance building, website development, market research and advertising (concept and media plans). To learn more visit https://www.accountingedgemarketing.com/.

About Insightful Accountant

Georgia-based Insightful Accountant is written specifically for the small business advisor who needs to stay current on the latest news and offerings in accounting technology, including updates from Intuit, Xero, Sage and the hundreds of add-on products serving the small business ecosystem. With news and insight specifically written to help the advisor better serve clients while building the firm, Insightful Accountant is unlike any other news source serving this space. https://www.intuitiveaccountant.com/

About Tax Practice News

Tax Practice News is the sister publication to Insightful Accountant, which offers a website and newsletter of resources specific to the tax professional. Topics covered include practice management, practice development, technology, workflow and other topics that are relevant for today’s tax professional who is focused on growing business and serving clients. The newsletter is delivered once per week to tax professionals across the country. https://taxpracticenews.com/

 

Media Contact:

Vicki LaBrosse
Director of Global Public Relations
Accounting Edge Marketing
vlabrosse@accountingedgemarketing.com
651.552.7753

 


Originally published on Legaltech News

Welcome to marketing during COVID-19 (aka coronavirus), a time where face-to-face marketing efforts like conferences, seminars, and on-site sales calls are minimized in favor of safer, virtual forms of contact.

How will this affect marketing to law firms and corporate legal?

Digital marketing is crucial, yes. But face-to-face meetings – when they can happen – make immediate impressions, allow you to gain information quickly, and can melt time off year+ sales cycles for B2B technology companies.

Legal technology conferences put companies right in front of their prospects and clients – not only on the exhibit floor but during educational presentations, demo sessions, parties, and networking. Companies spend months planning for them to promote brand awareness, win leads, and close deals. But if these conferences and the chance for in-person meetings decrease, how can marketers fill the gap? Here are a few ideas.

Click to read the article on Legaltech News.


As a business owner, you are acutely aware of the fundamental risks and benefits of thinking outside the box. You know the pros and cons of taking that leap of faith and you have done it, successfully. You have carefully crafted your company and everything that entails, and you are, justifiably, proud of everything you and your team have accomplished.

So, then what?

With so many factors to consider (your company’s reputation and longevity, and employees who depend on you for their livelihoods, to name just two), it’s no wonder successful entrepreneurs can find themselves in a tug-of-war between contentedly trucking along the same safe, well-worn road as always, or forging into uncharted territory.

Here are three ways to nurture an innovative mindset, as you consider your firm’s “then what”:

READ MORE


Partnership further drives award-winning marketing and PR firm’s global expansion

Minneapolis and London – February 13, 2020 – Edge Legal Marketing, a US-based public relations and marketing firm serving the needs of organizations in the legal and accounting industries, announced today a strategic partnership with Saltmarsh Marketing. London-based Saltmarsh Marketing delivers a range of marketing solutions to disruptive legal services businesses. Edge and Saltmarsh will work together to serve clients that require marketing and public relations services in both the US and UK.

Since 2007, Edge has provided services to its legal and accounting industry clients targeting the US and UK market by leveraging its agency expertise and strategic relationships. This partnership solidifies Edge’s commitment to increasing its international presence beyond the US to expanded markets through additional strategic partnerships. International partnerships not only afford Edge clients access to global markets, but also strengthen its global services by leveraging its partners’ experience, relationships, proven procedures and protocols as well as their professional teams.

“The legal sector continues to dramatically evolve, and there are many opportunities for businesses delivering legal services in new and innovative ways. We are looking forward to supporting the promotion of such businesses in the UK marketplace,” says Helen Burness, director at Saltmarsh Marketing.

“We are thrilled about this partnership and to have Helen’s connections and creative spirit at our fingertips,” states Amy Juers, MBA, CEO of Edge Legal Marketing. “Edge has had several requests recently for international marketing support, and we plan on leveraging our global network of partners to become a leading force in the UK market and beyond. We are proud to be a part of the Saltmarsh network as well and look forward to making a difference together for our clients.”

Edge and Saltmarsh’s strategic partnership is designed to remove the significant challenges typically present when clients want to reach markets beyond their home country’s boundaries. Clients that leverage Edge and Saltmarsh’s partnership will experience the following:

  • Localization of messaging and content that will resonate with each respective market and each respective buyer
  • Cognizant and strategic cross-border marketing and public relations services that take into consideration the target audience, the legal system, culture and language
  • Increased resources and expanded knowledge of the global market
  • Leveling the playing field against established players in the global market
  • The ability to compete against larger multinational enterprises with a broader reach
  • Critical resource and budget management when running in the race to exploit market expansion

Agencies around the globe that service the legal or accounting industries and would like to consider a strategic global partnership with Edge should reach out to Amy Juers at ajuers@edgelegalmarketing.com.

About Edge Legal Marketing

Edge Legal Marketing delivers marketing and public relations expertise to entities in the legal market. The company helps B2B businesses market and sell their products and services to corporate legal departments, law firms, federal and state courts and legal associations. Edge Legal Marketing services include strategic planning, marketing and e-marketing action plans, alliance building, website development, market research, public relations and advertising (concept and media plans). To learn more visit www.edgelegalmaketing.com.

About Saltmarsh

Saltmarsh Marketing provides legal marketing solutions to a range of clients with a particular focus on those who are breaking the mould and driving positive change in the growing legal economy.

Media Contacts:

Vicki LaBrosse
Director of Global Public Relations
Edge Legal Marketing
vlabrosse@edgelegalmarketing.com
651.552.7753

Helen Burness
Director
Saltmarsh Marketing
helen@saltmarsh.marketing
+44 7957 423277


ContractPodAi®, the award-winning provider of AI-powered contract lifecycle management software, will provide attendees with the tools they need to more effectively manage contracts during Legalweek New York at the New York Hilton Midtown. The company will showcase its contract management solution at booth #221, Feb. 4-6, as well as present and moderate panels inspiring improved contract management and technology understanding.

ContractPodAi will present at the Legaltech LITE Stage and moderate three panels during the course of the event with leading industry experts:

  • Deirdre Leone, VP Sales, Americas, will present on the Legaltech LITE Stage, “Streamline your Legal Process with Contract Lifecycle Management” on Tues.,  Feb. 4 at 11:00 a.m.
  • Deirdre Leone, VP Sales, Americas, will moderate the panel “Undoing the Pain of Contract Remediation with AI” on Wed., Feb. 5 at 11:00 a.m.
  • Charles Dimov, VP, Global Marketing, will moderate the panel “How Much of Contracts Still Require Manual Review” on Wed., Feb. 5, at 1:30 p.m.
  • Derek Karpel, Senior Account Executive, will moderate the panel “Moneyballing with a Killer Contract Analytics Department” on Wed., Feb. 5 at 3:00 p.m.

Building on the show’s theme of “Driving Legal Forward,” ContractPodAi’s team of contract management experts will be on hand at booth #221 in Rhinelander Hall to discuss the importance of artificial intelligence in contract automation and the recently launched Auto-Contract Desk feature. Attendees can also receive a customized report on the status of their contract lifecycle management process by completing a brief questionnaire.

Come meet our @contractpodai contract management specialists today! http://ow.ly/jGDJ50y81Vk