I remember, when I was growing up, accompanying my father to the video store to choose a VHS cassette for our regular Friday night movie. The selection was limited, not just by the format, but also by the number of tapes the store could hold! This naturally influenced our choice.
The way in which we select films today has, of course, changed. Not only do we have a wider range of platforms to choose from, but the trip to the video store has been replaced with a quick tap of the finger. This not only applies to movies, but to many of the things we do, from ordering food to booking an appointment at the doctor.
This has been fantastic for choice, and also for increasing awareness too. People are now able to access a huge amount of information accompanying the selections they are asked to make, and this has enabled informed choices to be made, including through comparison sites.
The diverse channels available through technology have been great in helping people. This sits well with both wider public legal education and access to justice- many people are now using these diverse channels to understand their basic rights. Charities, NGOs, public bodies, and others use their websites, and other social media platforms, in order to advise people about what the law is and how they can enforce it. Technology has increasingly played a fundamental role in public legal education. Podcasts and YouTube have been great in this respect.
All of this corresponds with the Legal Services Boards strategy to promote fairer outcomes. Many people may find it difficult seeking help. They may feel anxious because of the problems they are facing. Worse still, they may not even be aware that the law offers them a solution. This may lead to barriers when it comes to enforcing rights.
There are a large number of innovators who are working hard to promote access to justice. I am proud to be a part of one, Legal Utopia, that has used AI to build a mobile app that can help people understand their legal issues in their own words and then help them find and book a lawyer. We have worked closely with many law firms and legal regulators to develop this solution. It is important that companies like us are supported, particularly when it comes to data and funding.
Technology has a fundamental role to play in enabling the Legal Services Board to deliver on its 10-year strategy. This not only applies to public legal education, but also in furthering opportunity. The legal industry is an ecosystem made up of many different people – clients, lawyers, alternative legal service providers. Lots of students go to law school today in order to train as lawyers, however, the number of routes available to them after law school are quite limited. Technology provides another means for them to enter the profession and use their education.
As such, technology is great facilitator. It is essentially multi-sided. It provides a means to bring together a number of different people working within the law to create, shape and innovate and provide solutions that can promote greater fairness and public legal education.
For this to succeed, it’s vital that the role of technology stays at the forefront of people’s minds. LawTech UK is doing excellent work, as are the various legal regulators in reaching out and working with start-ups. More could be done to promote solutions to the general public, so that they know what is available, and more funding could also be made available for legal technology companies to innovate and create. It would also be good to look at ways in which to connect end-users more closely with technology companies.
Technology is fundamental in public legal education and also in opening up wider opportunities, especially for new companies.
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