We recently welcomed Richard Susskind and others at the Berkman Center. Susskind joined us for a discussion in the morning about technical requirements for software needed for our Vermont digital corporations project. Susskind is known for his description of a near-future of law where the legal services industry is radically changed by the completion of many legal tasks by computers. (Actually that\u2019s only perhaps half the picture. The rest involves the divvying up of legal tasks among various providers to those who can most efficiently complete them).<\/p>\n
Here are some examples of this trend toward automation.<\/p>\n
Seravia:
\nMy Latin isn\u2019t too hot, but I think that means something to the effect of \u201cthe way of the future.\u201d This company, based in Beijing, claims to be \u201cdistilling the power of a world-class law firm into software available to anyone in the world.\u201d So far they are just in startup phase and looking to hire engineers, software developers, business analysts and \u201clegal analysts.\u201d Interestingly, the word \u201clawyer\u201d doesn\u2019t figure into their hiring priorities, and none of the three principals listed mentions experience as a lawyer.
\nSee: www.seravia.com<\/p>\n
A2J:
\nFrom the world of pro-bono comes A2J. The program was designed by a team at Chicago Kent School of Law and is meant to provide a user-facing interview experience. A2J was built for unrepresented (pro-se) litigants, so it is usually programmed with short, plain-language questions written at a modest reading level.
\nThe answers to the questions become XML-tagged variables that can then be plugged into HotDocs. Once harvested, these XML snippets could have other uses as well, such as e-filing (once courts are ready). To make it easy to program, interviews are designed as flow charts of possible questions. The end user (client) never has to see these charts the designers use.
\nSee: http:\/\/www.kentlaw.edu\/cajt\/A2JAuthor.html. You can walk through one of the interviews near the bottom of the page. The PDF executive summary of the program is also helpful.
\n(Disclosure: I am currently employed by the state of Vermont to build a series of A2J interviews for family law matters.)<\/p>\n
One Click Organisations:
\nThis British non-profit is designed to minimize the amount of time social entrepreneurs need to spend doing legal housekeeping. One Click Organisations offers a service whereby users will be asked a series of questions and then the group\u2019s software will recommend the best institutional form for the group and also develop a constitution. The current version only supports unincorporated organizations, but later versions will include options for share corporations or partnerships.
\nIn addition to setting up a decision-making structure, One Click Organisations will also establish a central internet location with registers of members and decisions made by the group. E-mail and text messages will be sent to active members notifying them of new members, proposals, decisions, or other developments.
\nSee: http:\/\/www.circus-foundation.org\/projects\/one-click-organisations\/<\/p>\n
– Brock Rutter<\/p>\n
Brock Rutter is trained as a lawyer and is a research assistant to Prof. Oliver
\nGoodenough at the Berkman Center.\u00a0 His interests include technology driven law practice,\u00a0 coming changes to the legal profession, and evolving corporate and transactional law in the digital age.\u00a0 In other endeavors, he is currently programming A2J interview modules to assist pro se litigants in Vermont.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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