Monthly Musings Edition #4

Hello everyone,?

For my fourth ‘Monthly Musings’ edition, I’d like to talk about how technology has played a vital role in helping to solve the access to justice problem many people face when trying to source legal services in Australia.

This musing was prompted by a panel discussion at an ‘Emerging Tech and Law’ lecture with Melbourne University Law Students facilitated by Cameron (Cam) Whittfield and featuring myself and the incredible Kate Dillon from Gilbert and Tobin and Edward Vong from Culture Amp (thanks Cam for the invitation).

During the session, Cameron asked what my thoughts were on the impact technology has had on access to justice.?And of course, I had plenty to share! ?

In the area of pro bono legal services, technology has been a complete game changer!?Organisations such as Justice Connect (https://justiceconnect.org.au), Anika Legal (https://www.anikalegal.com), Legal Tech Helper (https://legaltechhelper.com.au) and Everyday Justice (https://everydayjustice.com.au), have completely changed the landscape of pro bono legal service delivery and connectivity, both for the volunteer lawyers who provide these crucial services, and for the clients seeking access to justice by using online platforms that make it easier and more streamlined for people to access pro bono legal services and obtain legal information, advice and representation.

In many ways, the Pro Bono legal services space has led the technological revolution within the legal industry, with the introduction of online platforms and portals, the use of online triage tools like @Josef chatbots (https://joseflegal.com), and now the exploration of secure video connection tools like Pro Help Legal Australia (https://www.prohelplegal.com.au). ?

[As some of you may know, I’m a Co-Director of ProHelp Legal Australia and we are about to launch a pilot program with a CLC in Queensland which we hope will serve as the test case for CLCs Australia-wide adopting secure video platforms within their service delivery models!].

In the paid legal services space, I believe technology has had the biggest impact on providing access to the ‘missing middle’ in Australia.?The ‘missing middle’ includes those Australians who do not qualify for legal aid but also don’t have big budgets for legal spend, to clients who have money to spend on legals but want certainty and transparency around price and legal deliverables, to startups and small business owners who need legal services but may not be able to afford the full suite of legal documents when starting or scaling their business.

Legal marketplaces, like Legally Yours (https://legallyyours.com.au), are helping to solve the access to justice problem, by creating simple and easy platforms for people to access legal services by connecting them with vetted, experienced fixed-fee lawyers, all without the bill shock and the frustration of having to contact multiple different law firms and waiting for call backs.?

Through the Legally Yours’ online member community (the LY Hub), we also educate and support Australian lawyers to set up their own law practices and to transition away from the billable hour model, which in my opinion, has been the biggest barrier to legal services for the majority of Australians because it has created cost uncertainty, lack of trust, and a lot of fear around engaging with a lawyer.

Whilst technology has been a driving force in opening up access to legal services, having the support of a legal regulator, coupled with lawyers who ‘dare to be different’, is just as important as having the tech solutions.

In Victoria, our legal regulator, the VLSB+C (https://lsbc.vic.gov.au - and in particular the incredible Jennie Pakula - https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/jennie-pakula-6994253a/), have recently published resources discussing consumer-centric legal services (https://lsbc.vic.gov.au/resources/consumers-experiences-legal-services-rapid-review) and encouraging Victorian lawyers to be innovative in their pricing models (https://www.lsbc.vic.gov.au/lawyers/legal-costs/innovation-pricing). ?

The combination of technology, progressive and innovative lawyers, and a legal regulator supporting different pricing models and consumer centric legal services, has enabled more Australians to access legal services and justice than ever before, and I hope this trend continues for many, many more years to come.

Thank you for reading my ‘Monthly Musings’ for August!?I look forward to sharing more of my insights and learnings about legal technology and the progressive legal industry with you all next month.