“The practice of law is changing quickly. Many people do not understand the interplay between legal tech and law practice ... It is up to each one of us — law schools, law students, lawyers, law firms, and in-house departments — to ensure that we are delivering legal services as optimally as we can, today and in the future. It is indisputable that technology is now playing, and will continue to play, a major role in how legal services are performed and delivered.” (p. 9).
“The Legal Tech Ecosystem” is a book by Colin S. Levy, a legal-tech expert and corporate lawyer. Levy attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he received his bachelor’s degree in public policy and law, then attended Boston College Law School, where he earned his juris doctor degree. In addition, Levy also earned a certificate in legal innovation and technology from Suffolk University Law School.
His blog, which was named among 30 top legal-tech blogs of 2023 by social feed reader website Feedspot, provided the basis for this book — Levy wanted to share what he learned from other legal-tech thinkers, creators, and teachers. In essence, the book serves as a tour guide for readers as they begin to explore and appreciate legal technology.
Levy begins the book with a reminder about how technology has seeped into almost all aspects of our lives and, in particular, in the legal field: data management, discovery, contract management, research, project management, and process improvement. With that said, Levy then details the many barriers to technology permeating the legal field because of the skepticism of lawyers, even though 40 states have adopted some duty of technology competence for those licensed to practice law.
The book continues with an overview of what legal technology is and what it is not — for instance, it is not just artificial intelligence, robots, or only suited for large law firms. Levy then educates readers on the difference between legal technology and legal innovation; namely, the latter can occur without using any technology. That said, he makes it clear through dialogue of others in the industry that legal technology is inherently innovative because it seeks to develop tools to improve how things have been done in the past. And while Levy clarifies that the book is not a how-to guide, he weaves in tips for innovating and provides an overview of current types of legal technology and programs, explains how they can be used to help improve workflow, avoid litigation, assist with analytics, increase access through automation, and manage contracts.
The book’s final chapters describe the need for teaching legal technology, change, and the future. As Levy notes, “There is a long-standing joke that you go to law school to avoid math. The joke now could be that you go to law school to avoid data and technology” (p. 99). However, he emphasizes that nothing could be further from the truth and explains that the key values of leaders today are collaboration, cross-disciplinary learning, and empathy — areas can be enhanced by legal technology. Levy finishes with an overview of artificial intelligence and the legal field and words of wisdom on dealing with change brought on by technological advancements.
On a final note, more than 55 legal-tech thinkers, creators, and teachers’ thoughts, wisdom, and musings are woven into Levy’s book, providing many interesting perspectives representing an array of different viewpoints.
Overall, “The Legal Tech Ecosystem” is a book that educates readers on current and future trends of technology in the legal field. It reminds us of why a growth mindset is necessary and to the importance of embracing technology as it continues to transform the legal landscape.