whats a employment lawyer toronto lawyer perspective on technology in legal
employment lawyer toronto lawyer perspective on technology in legal
An employment lawyer helps employees and employers navigate workplace laws in a non-unionized environment. He or she can help with issues such as discrimination and wrongful dismissal claims, as well as wages-related disputes. Employment lawyers should be licensed to practise law in your province or territory. Some work for large organizations with a national workforce, while others focus on smaller companies or private practice. If you are a union member, your union may provide you with an employment lawyer.
A growing number of employers are hiring employment lawyer Toronto as a way to cut costs and improve productivity, says Toronto employment lawyer David Whitten. Whitten says this trend is especially evident in the private sector, where clients are under pressure to manage expenses. But he notes that clients are still looking for value and a high level of service.
Another trend is the increasing reliance on legal tech. While traditional law firms remain strong, a younger generation of lawyers is seeking to work for companies that use best-in-class software and other technology to deliver services more efficiently.
whats a employment lawyer toronto lawyer perspective on technology in legal
A big focus for the new generation of lawyers is reducing the cost of litigation by using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and other tools to resolve disputes without going to court. This can be achieved by leveraging technological tools such as videoconferencing, document exchange platforms and online case management systems.
One of the big trends in the field is cloud computing, which has fueled much of the growth at legal tech heavyweight Clio. Joshua Lenon, a Clio lawyer in residence, says the company’s decision to offer an application programming interface (API) was “pioneering.” APIs are computer code that allow apps to talk to each other. The move has made it easier for users to integrate their favourite programs with Clio, which is used by more than 800,000 lawyers worldwide.
Other technology that is driving efficiency at law firms includes e-hearings, which allow judges to conduct hearings remotely or in person via videoconference. A Canadian example is the CaseLines e-hearing platform, which was developed by Ontario Superior Court Justice Frederick Myers in 2013. It has been adopted by some of the largest courts in Canada and allows for better accessibility for people with disabilities.
Another area of growth for legal tech is artificial intelligence, which can help with the “tedious” task of searching through vast amounts of legal information. The Canadian firm Blue J Legal, which works with U of T’s Creative Destruction Lab and UTEST entrepreneurship hubs, has developed an AI system to help lawyers find documents quickly. Its system can search multiple databases at once and is capable of identifying documents that contain the same word or phrase. It can also determine which documents are most relevant to a particular case.
While there is some hype around legal tech, Addison Cameron-Huff, a Toronto lawyer and computer programmer who follows the industry, cautions that it’s important for law firms to look at a company’s business model and financial track record before investing. She says that Canadian venture capitalists are more conservative than their U.S. counterparts and are less willing to invest in companies that have only been around for a few years.
