The Challenges Posed by New Technology

Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General – in the Senedd at 2:23 pm on 28 November 2018.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 2:23, 28 November 2018

I was pleased to be invited by the Member to the legal tech round-table a couple of weeks ago. It was an important opportunity to explore what is a very significant change in the legal professional services sector in Wales. I, myself, as I mentioned that morning, have met with a number of law firms across Wales since becoming Counsel General and I would say that wherever they are in Wales and whatever their practice area, and almost whatever their size, they recognise in a general sense the challenge and also the opportunity to deliver better added value services or more efficient services that technology presents. But there is also, as he in his question identifies, a very significant potential disruption to the business models that many firms, again with a range of sizes and a range of locations, have depended upon to sustain those firms. So, I would support the points he is making in his question, really the need for the sector generally to address this issue and to see not just the threat, but also the opportunity that increased digital technological innovation brings, be that more effective case management or, at the more ambitious end, artificial intelligence—the opportunities that those bring, not just for commercial clients, but also for clients accessing services that hitherto have been funded by legal aid. It's important that these advances are available to all people seeking legal advice and legal representation in Wales.