SAL pilots programme to prepare lawyers for advances in AI
Wong Shiying
Singapore
THE Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) has announced the launch of a two- year pilot programme to help law firms cope with the disruption in law practices caused by advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Coined the Future Law Innovation Programme (FLIP), it will give "form and substance" to the execution of the Legal Technology Vision - a five-year roadmap to help the legal industry adopt technology. It is set to begin in January next year.
Speaking at SAL's annual appreciation dinner on Tuesday, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, who is also the president of SAL, urged lawyers to respond strategically to technological advancements.
"Technology is revolutionising the practice of law through machine learning and automation," he said. "While it is heartening to see that these advancements have led to the commoditisation of legal services, consumers will increasingly rely on AI for solutions instead of instinctively approaching their lawyers. This may not be such good news for providers of legal services if they do not adapt to these new realities."
He cited Ross, an AI lawyer that responds to questions by scanning through its database and produces an answer with reference to relevant sources. Ross has been hired as a legal researcher by global law firms such as Latham & Watkins.
FLIP comprises three components. There is the co-working space known as Collision 8, where participating firms can share business solutions with one another. It also has a guided programme to help law firms lighten their back-end processes.
The second component is a free online platform through which legal professionals can set up an online profile, try out new legal technology tools, access training and call for collaboration on legal work.
The final component is the accelerator programme where SAL links promising legal startups with law firms, general counsel, technology leaders and investors. SAL will also engage business mentors from Spring Singapore to help participants commercialise startups.
