Why legal startups are destined to change the world

The technology boom that disrupted key industries — like transportation, teaching and the media — has found a new target. Tech-savvy entrepreneurs are creating A.I.-influenced tools that make it easier for both lawyers and the clients they serve to navigate the legal system.

Everything from drafting new contracts to discovery and due diligence is evolving at a record pace. More and more companies are choosing to offload so-called grunt work once performed by interns and junior associates onto sophisticated machines.

Of course, this has huge ramifications for entry-level professionals. New lawyers and paralegals learn the ins and outs of the profession by working on smaller tasks that computers can now do in half the time.

The future is now

It’s not hard to see how influential A.I.-tech has become. In China, officials are using new tech to run the world’s first ‘cyber courts’. These online systems preside over internet-related legal cases, which free up traditional courts to deal with other, arguably more important, issues. 

Meanwhile, last year, CaseCruncher Alpha (a U.K. robot) made headlines when it beat 100 of London’s top lawyers in a timed legal challenge. The now-famous bot was created by law students Jozef Maruscak, Rebecca Agliolo and Ludwig Bull. 

As technology continues its inevitable march forward new digital tools will rise to change how lawyers and those in the field work.

Interested in learning about how Canadian startups are changing the legal world? Listen to  Robert Gold, host of BusinessCast, interview Hersh Perlis, director of Ryerson’s Legal Innovation Zone. Make sure to also visit our official iTunes page.