New technologies and law firms
Today’s world is awash with jargon: blockchain, cloud computing, smart contracts, AI, bitcoin… This is no passing fashion. These terms represent the here and now. The technological revolution is even starting to reach the legal sector, the last bastion of tradition.
CROCE & Associés SA has no intention of standing on the sidelines as digital change sweeps in. We certainly did not wait for the term “Legaltech” to be coined to start putting digital solutions in place.
Before deciding to introduce new digital technologies, we judge them against three standards: responsiveness, efficiency and security.
Responsiveness
Responsiveness is vital for lawyers. It enables us to make objective decisions, even in emergency situations.
To this end, our law firm has always been an early adopter of the very latest communication tools. Thanks to emails, mobile phones, video conferencing (Skype, FaceTime, etc.) and instant messaging (WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, etc.), our attorneys are contactable 7 days a week, all year round. We guarantee clients a reply within 24 hours maximum – whatever the circumstances.
Efficiency
The digital revolution is bringing the kind of changes to the legal sector that fintech brought to banking.
At CROCE & Associés SA, we are conscious of the implications of the gig economy for legal services, but we also set great store by results. Consequently, we are working with start-ups to put in place innovative ways of accessing services that will simplify legal bureaucracy, help us work more efficiently and control costs in order to achieve our clients’ objectives.
Our lawyers have no hesitation in using artificial intelligence for the following:
- Automation of certain repetitive tasks (such as form filling);
- Automatic data extraction to limit the risks of error;
- Automated searches for legal data;
- In the future, we expect to make use of programmes to analyse the chances of winning a case (predictive justice), map the most favourable jurisdictions and estimate damages based on previous awards in similar cases (machine learning).
However, despite AI and all the changes it is bringing, we have absolutely no intention of automating our services. In particular, digital tools will never replace our specific strength: our knowledge of the lawyer’s craft. Our aim is to use them to optimise our work, increasing the value added we offer our clients.
Security
Although digital technologies, and especially the internet, have opened up a wealth of possibilities, revolutionising our lives both at home and at work, no one can deny that cybersecurity and data protection are under greater threat today than ever before.
To counter this, our law firm has installed an ultra-modern, comprehensive security system (firewall, intrusion prevention system, secure data exchange platform and dedicated data storage solution).
We work closely with our IT providers to ensure your data is protected from third party access, loss and usurpation while offering you flexible, easy-to-use tools (convenient means of communication including platforms, the facility to consult your file whenever you wish, online summaries of costs and fees incurred, etc.).
Like it or not, the future of our profession lies in industry 4.0. It is essential for lawyers to play an active role in its development so that our clients can reap all the benefits, today and in the future.
By pooling our talents and resources we strive to pursue excellence in the practice of law.