Technology

HM Land Registry launched its new digital local land charges register last week, which will cut the time it takes to get results from days or weeks to seconds.

An AI platform designed for businesses is to help staff at food banks and MPs’ surgeries refer legal enquiries from members of the public to lawyers in a pilot scheme this autumn.

The Lord Chancellor last night threw his weight behind the UK’s lawtech industry, and is creating a panel to help accelerate the development of innovative technologies.

Artificial intelligence, chatbots and hackathons may be developments that have great potential or are delivering exciting commercial applications, but they are doing rather less at present for access to justice.

Innovative national chambers Clerksroom is teaming up with the likes of Microsoft and Lloyds Bank to build an end-to-end case management system for barristers.

A leading judge has heralded the end of the traditional court hearing for commercial disputes, where lawyers for parties sit simultaneously in a physical court room, in all but exceptional cases.

Law firm managers and in-house counsel will increasingly rely on artificial intelligence for decisions on the best strategic course to take in the future, according to a Law Society study.

Evidence provided to MPs by those involved in or observing the courts have outlined wide-ranging concerns about the government’s court modernisation programme.

Ethical, moral and legal risks from the growing use of algorithms are under the spotlight as the Law Society launches a public policy commission today on the impact of new technology on the justice system. One of the commissioners, said she was particularly concerned by the use of algorithms in the sensitive areas of divorce and employment law.

The Lord Chief Justice has called the ability of computers to use big data to predict outcomes “one of the most exciting developments of the age” and forecast the technology would be used to prevent litigation and promote settlements. In the long run, he anticipated that AI would reduce the number of disputes reaching trial.