Legal Tech - Potentials and effects of technology-based legal advice
Legal tech (short for legal technology) generally refers to the use of technology in legal advice, ranging from simple, platform-based support (Solicitor Online) to partially or fully automated solutions that draw on Big Data analytics and machine learning approaches. In the future, the ability to map, analyse and interpret legal data will occupy an ever-increasing share with regard to the scope of work in law firms.
The digital transformation of professional consulting and services in the finance and insurance sector is already at an advanced stage and now is also spreading to the legal sector – referred to as Legal or Law Tech. There are currently signs of a high level of dynamism in the development of new business models and the establishment of legal tech companies geared towards legal advice and legal services. A number of companies offer intelligent software solutions or IT-based services and are thus pushing into legal fields of application.
The brief study published as Working Report No. 185 provides an overview of legal tech offerings and applications. On the basis of expert interviews, it also discusses which legal aspects and questions of consumer and data protection are affected by the activities of legal tech. Through an international mapping of legal tech start-ups, it was determined in which application areas of legal tech the market and start-up dynamics are most pronounced. In addition, the current debates on the topic of legal tech were analysed in order to weigh up opportunities, potential and risks and to explore any need for action.
The key findings of the study are also presented in the associated policy-brief TAB-Fokus issues (en/de).
16 April 2020
Downloads:
- TAB-Fokus no. 24
Legal Tech. - TAB-Arbeitsbericht Nr. 185 (only in German)
Legal Tech – Potenziale und Wirkungen. TA-Vorstudie.
Further information: