Legal Engineering in the Legal Ecosystem of the Digital Economy

Abstract

In the digital economy, the use of artificial intelligence is inevitable, including by lawyers. While there is a perception that artificial intelligence will not fundamentally change the practice of law, and that the legal profession requires specialised skills and making judgments in a way that only humans do, the use of technology in the legal sector is and will continue to become more prevalent. While not every problem can be solved by technology, there are fewer and fewer solutions that will not be supported by it in some way. This will increase the role of legal engineers – they will build the future of law, which can be imagined as a collaboration between all members of an organisation, including those with a legal background and those with experience in other fields. The diversity of perspectives encourages innovative thinking, the creation of more efficient service delivery models, and the satisfaction of both service providers and service recipients, while work automation minimises risk and reduces the number of errors by ensuring that the same rules are followed every time. Many lawyers have accepted that technology has and will continue to play a big role in their work, although not all are well equipped to use it. They need new skills, primarily in management, project delivery, finance, marketing, mediation and negotiation, as well as modern technology.