3 – LegalTech innovation in Welsh law firms
The capacity of Welsh law firms to obtain or develop technology has been repeatedly called into question, as discussed in chapter 1. The characteristics of the Welsh legal sector provide some justification for these concerns, as small- and medium-sized law firms generally encounter greater barriers to the adoption of legal technology, primarily due to costs and lack of expertise. 132 Furthermore, law firms in rural parts of Wales may be impacted by lower levels of digital maturity 133 , infrastructural issues 134 , or digital exclusion risks. 135 However, it appears that innovation in Welsh law firms is healthier than expected and spans across a good range of technologies – its main weakness is inclusivity, as examples of technology adoption and development in small firms and rural areas remain rare. In this chapter, we review examples of innovation in Welsh law firms, to understand (i) the approach of the Welsh legal sector to technology, (ii) the range of technologies that Welsh law firms engage with, and (iii) the capacity of Welsh law firms to develop technology in-house. As discussed in the first section, this chapter does not provide a comprehensive map of technology adoption or development; rather, it focuses on a series of examples to generalise some important observations on LegalTech innovation in Welsh law firms. Welsh law firms involved in the adoption or development of technology, not currently featured in this chapter, are encouraged to contact the Legal Innovation Lab Wales at legalinnovation@swansea.ac.uk. Upon review by our researchers, we will update this chapter with information concerning your law firm and its role in innovation. 3.1 Methodology and limitations The examples featured in this chapter have been identified on the basis of information publicly available in a number of online sources, including (i) law firm websites and social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), (ii) local newspapers, (iii) press releases, (iv) legal websites and online magazines (e.g. the Law Society Gazette). This approach limited our research to examples of innovation that Welsh law firms have directly or indirectly publicised. Where a law firm has not made this information public, for reasons that may range from the lack of marketing support to an assessment of relevance to potential customers, it is therefore not included in this chapter. Similarly, we have not included law firms which provide limited public information on their adoption or development of technology, where we could not gain a clear understanding of the technology in question or the firm’s 132 Sako and Parnham (n 67), 30. 133 Cardiff University Welsh Economy Research Unity, Digital technologies and future opportunities for rural businesses and areas in Wales (January 2019), available at https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1438802/Horizon-scanning_rural- opportunities-03.pdf, at 4. 134 Such as the lack of superfast broadband connections – see BBC, “Broadband: Slow speeds risk 'excluding people from modern life'” (1 August 2022), available at https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-62333335. 135 See, for an overview, Digital Communities Wales, “Digital Inclusion in Wales”, available at https://www.digitalcommunities.gov.wales/digital-inclusion-in-wales-2/.
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