Rather than using ‘tech to impress’, law firms should invest in technology that’ll improve the service they deliver to clients.
Hot topics in the legal world and updates on matters funded on CrowdJustice - all in this week’s Justice Beat.
Quote of the day
“It really worked for us!” - The Free Representation Unit tweets about raising funds on CrowdJustice.
Legal news
Welcome to the LawTech revolution
1. Dismissing technology as ‘hype’ will put the future of your firm at risk, Joanna Goodman writes in the Law Society Gazette. Rather than using ‘tech to impress’, she says firms should think strategically about what tech to buy, focusing on tools they’ll actually use to improve the service they offer to clients - from saving costs, to working more efficiently.
2. There’s a wave of innovation hitting the mainstream in the legal world. Lawyers told Legal Cheek that the pace of change has been quick and smart new tools are revolutionising working practices in firms. The lawyer-client relationship remains paramount, practitioners said, but of course, tech can help there too - enabling lawyers to deliver better service for their clients. Find out how we do that at CrowdJustice.
A legal first for clean air
3. France has failed to take adequate steps to limit air pollution around Paris, the French administrative court found this week. The case has caused a stir as a legal first in the country, brought by a mother and daughter citing health issues caused by air pollution. After the judgment was released, one environmental activist said: “I am very moved. We have been waiting for this for 20 years”.
Our Head of UK, Jo Sidhu, spoke recently at a Bindmans event on bringing legal challenges over air pollution. See Jo in action here.
Fending for themselves
4. The families of victims killed in the London Bridge terror attack won’t get legal aid for inquests into their loved ones’ deaths, the Times reports. The government doesn’t consider legal representation at inquests necessary because the proceedings aren’t adversarial. But we know many families left to navigate the Coroner’s court alone would much rather have a lawyer’s guidance.
We’ve helped many families raise funds to instruct lawyers to advise and represent them at inquests. Take a look at our inquest fundraising pages here.
Council takes parental responsibility
5. "Eccentric" views of personal "sovereignty" led a father to refuse to register the birth of his baby boy, Sky News reports. The man believed that registration would cause his son “to become controlled by a state which he perceives to be authoritarian and capricious", the High Court said this week. The court ruled that a local council would have to step in to register the child’s birth.
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This week on CrowdJustice
We were thrilled that CrowdJustice won Best Technology Product at The Lawyer Awards 2019. Our CEO, Julia Salasky, and Jo Sidhu attended the ceremony on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Alison McDermott is fundraising to bring whistleblowing and victimisation claims in the Employment Tribunal; Lamar Stewart’s family are raising funds for legal representation at an inquest into his death; and junior doctor Chris Day is raising funds to set aside a settlement agreement he felt forced to accept following a costs threat.
Questions? Get in touch: [email protected].