SMU Law Academy - Legal Technology in Times of COVID-19

The law and legal services industry have already been undergoing significant evolution with technology advancements. Covid-19 with its curfews, lockdowns and circuit breaker initiatives by governments has propelled these changes to a new level - where new social norms are governed by unprecedented public policies which would have been previously been unthinkable. Against this new reality, the panellists addressed:

What computational law entails, and how it’s distinct from legaltech. Ways in which computational law may transform the legal industry and do for it what spreadsheets did for business processes, Adobe did for graphic design, and Instagram did for photography [Alexis Chun];

The essential components that make up an effective digital working environment for legal practitioners, ranging from tools to optimimise firm management to online etiquette and remote working applications to the integration of design thinking to adequately support the needs of clients [Rajesh Sreenivasan];

The use of technology by in-house counsels, how technology can be applied in legal practice and its possible uses to mitigate compliance risks while increasing the depth and value that lawyers can bring to their clients [Antony Cook];

How the legal profession can use open data and technology to provide timely and useful information to serve the community [Lim How Khang];

The practical technologies surrounding online dispute resolution, with particular emphasis on the Uniform Domain Names Dispute Resolution Policy to illustrate the design features of online justice platforms as well as the core concerns that must be confronted when justice goes online [Jerrold Soh]