TECHNOLOGY
campusreview.com.au
Where there’s a will,
there’s a chatbot
USQ law students preparing
for a changing legal sector.
By Grant Law
T
hird-year law students at the
University of Southern Queensland
are gaining valuable insights into
the evolution of the Australian legal sector
courtesy of legal tech entrepreneur Adrian
Cartland and his Artificially Intelligent
Legal Information Resource Assistant
(AILIRA). The goal of the university’s
collaboration with the 2017 Young Lawyer
of the Year is to inform students of the
increasing influence of technology in
the legal industry and how disruptors
are using it to increase access to justice
across Australia.
“Students are not only learning how
to build legal chatbots using the AILIRA
platform but are gaining a very valuable
understanding of both the challenges
and opportunities presented by the rise
of technology in the practice of law,”
USQ School of Law and Justice lecturer
Dr Aaron Timoshanko says.
“The introduction of automation and
practice management software in the legal
sector is widespread, but using artificial
intelligence to increase access to justice
is indicative of how the legal sector is
evolving, and it’s very important to the
university that our students graduate with
an understanding of where the industry
is heading.”
Students were given the opportunity
to build their own legal chatbot using the
AILIRA platform and were also tasked with
developing a letter of proposal about a
technology solution to a partner in a law
firm – something Timoshanko believes
many students may find themselves doing
earlier on in their careers.
Chatbots can be built by students to
automate any area of law. Examples
include creating wills, business structures,
fencing disputes, domestic violence,
loan documentation and commercial
agreements. Not only will such services
increase access to the legal system, they
will help in reducing the cost to access
legal assistance.
The chatbot technology can also
function as a “decision tree” or Q&A
platform that can help individuals
understand often confusing or opaque
aspects of the law and make informed
decisions. Cartland provides the example
of young people wanting to know whether
they can be searched for drugs by police
at events and festivals, a topical issue at
the moment
Cartland explained to students that
AILIRA was initially developed as a Siri
for tax law practices; however, since its
launch in 2016, it has grown to cover other
practice areas.
“Any talk of tech in the legal sector usually
leads to concerns about people losing
employment opportunities to machines,
but it’s the exact opposite,” Cartland claims.
“I was very keen to explain to students
that the rise of tech in our sector should be
warmly welcomed because it will create
more diverse employment opportunities
and will make legal services available to
more people.”
Cartland established the Law Firm
Without Lawyers in Darwin several
years ago. The initiative comprises a
retail space within a shopping centre
where locals can have a will drawn
up with the help of a chatbot for a
fraction of the cost of doing it through
a traditional law firm. The customer
is guided through the technology by
legal technology assistants (LTAs) who
help individuals through the process of
using the technology and generating a
legal document.
The assistants do not provide legal
advice, but if the customer wishes to
confer with a lawyer about the will they
are creating, AILIRA facilitates this with an
introduction to a trusted local legal partner.
“The result is that people who could not
afford to pay well over $1000 to have a will,
now have one,” explains Cartland.
“This approach leverages technology
to create a new market, and I have no
doubt that there will be some among
those who graduate from USQ who will
find themselves either being involved in, or
leading similar initiatives.”
Timoshanko confirms that technology
is only increasing the magnitude of
opportunities for employment in the
legal sector.
“We are introducing our students to a
new era in law, and it’s a very exciting time
to be entering the profession,” explains
Timoshanko.
Cartland is currently working with
Nigeria’s Legalpedia to provide next
generation AI case research for
legal professionals and government
departments. Legalpedia Nigeria Limited
was launched to provide relevant and
cutting-edge technology to the Nigerian
legal profession by reducing, to the
barest minimum, the use of manual
methods within the courtroom, the
judges’ chambers, court registries, and in
law firms. ■
Grant Law is a public relations consultant
based in South Australia.
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