MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY 2018

Simmons & SimmonsWINNER

Simmons & Simmons’ entry to this year’s awards addressed the elephant in the room: Brexit. As March 2019 draws closer there remains little clarity on what Brexit means for UK civil justice and similar levels of practical advice for in-house lawyers to answer questions about the practical effect of Brexit. Consequently, Simmons developed Disputes Aviator, an online tool to enable in-house lawyers to analyse factual scenarios within the framework of currently foreseeable post-Brexit legislation. It uses Neota Logic’s AI technology to automate the provision of advice and allow in-house lawyers to take into account key circumstantial factors that affect the level of risk in relation to the recognition and enforceability of English jurisdiction or governing law clauses and the enforcement of English court judgments post-Brexit. Disputes Aviator then generates a risk weighted report setting out the current and the various post-Brexit positions. Simmons plans to update it regularly to reflect legal developments, publications and commentary by key stakeholders and believes it will be relevant not only in the lead up to, but also following Brexit. Judges said: “This is an inspired idea and the first of its kind. Simmons have turned the Brexit uncertainty into an opportunity to inform and support clients with a simple and very effective tool.”

Highly commended: Pinsents Masons

Pinsents Masons built its own technology platform, TermFrame, to systematise legal knowledge and process and meet a wide range of different challenges. Notably, TermFrame makes it easier for banks to comply with their regulatory obligations within the required timescales. For one financial institution client alone, Pinsents reviewed over 16,000 documents on the new system while its Detailed Review programme reviewed 1,879 documents in just 22 days at an average run-rate of 77 documents per day. Judges said this was “a very good AI platform which will save money and time in document review, matter management and novations.”

Commended: Mishcon de Reya

Mishcon de Reya identified cyber security as one of its clients’ most pressing needs, notably in the investigation and litigation process. This led to the formalisation of the firm’s cyber-related offering, which included the recruitment of an eight-strong team of non-lawyer, cyber security experts, a cyber intelligence director and a cyber innovation architect, all of whom joined following the appointment of cyber security lead, Joe Hancock, from PwC in 2016. The judges said the firm’s entry confirmed that Mishcon was active in the tech space, “utilising and integrating effective tools to maximise their client offering and investing in incubator companies”.