How Legal Analytics Will Change the Future of Law
Legal research is commonplace in the world of litigation. It helps lawyers identify relevant law so they can better fight for their clients. The accuracy of their research is key, and remains a core skill for lawyers everywhere. But what if there was something newer that could give lawyers an edge, allowing them to better predict the outcome of a case? It turns out there is: legal analytics.
Legal analytics is the use of data to anticipate the outcomes of cases. Relying on technologies such as machine learning and language processing, it supplements a lawyer’s legal knowledge and can help answer questions in a matter of minutes, rather than weeks. With this kind of analytical tool available it can help lawyers identify trends, insights, and the behaviors of key figures in the case, allowing them to develop the most effective legal strategies.
For example, these analytical tools can be used to determine information regarding expert witnesses. Before, lawyers relied on recommendations from colleagues regarding expert witnesses, often with only limited information available. However, legal analytics are changing this and are able to provide lawyers with concrete data on the expert’s success in court. It also proves useful in challenging the opposition’s experts, as lawyers are able to see when those particular experts have been successfully challenged in the past and use the same reasoning again.
Legal analytics can also play a role in gaining new business for law firms. If the analytical tools are helping firms win more cases in a particular field of law, it can play a key role in winning new business. Firms that utilize legal analytics might prove to be more efficient for their clients, also driving new customers in the door.
For law firms, legal analytics will prove itself to be an invaluable tool for winning cases and gathering the key information that is required to do so. As the technology continues to advance, the adoption by more and more law firms will become commonplace, and necessary to remain on the cutting edge. It doesn’t replace the knowledge and experience seasoned lawyers provide, but supplements their knowledge to spot trends and gain important insight into their cases.
