Posted by Callie Sierra
2 June 2017
There’s been a lot discussion lately about automation and AI in the legal industry. Articles have recently appeared in The New York Times, The Financial Times, Tech Crunch and countless legal trade publications about how AI and automation promises to increase efficiency and reduce costs in the legal profession.
Though many firms are waiting to see how this technology develops, one firm in Finland is already reaping its benefits.
Castrén & Snellman (C&S), Finland’s oldest law firm, recently launched advanced document automation technology that has completely transformed the way the firm works. The system, aptly named Transformer, leverages a customised document automation process to help ease the workload of the firm’s lawyers and provide them with more opportunity to collaborate with clients.
Exploring a New Way of Working
After recurring discussions with clients wanting greater value and predictive control, C&S realised that it needed a new way of working. The Knowledge Management team, headed by Paula Aura, gathered a project team and began looking for technology to help drive greater efficiency across the firm.
The team’s review of AI providers led to the realisation that the technology still has a long way to go in terms of being able to provide value for clients. However, the team saw tremendous potential in document automation, and partnered with Sysero to develop and launch Transformer.
C&S piloted its automation programme with its M&A service, and quickly rolled it out to the rest of the firm. “I can see the enthusiasm growing amongst our lawyers,” Aura says. “This is a much more fun way of working. When the first documents were published and presented in our office meeting, we received automation requests from across the firm.”
Delivering Value from Start
Using automation, C&S has reduced its document drafting time in half, while also minimising risk. Automation also has enabled the firm’s lawyers to spend more time producing benefits for clients.
Carola Lindholm, Partner, explains: “By automating some of the most-used documents within the firm, we’ll be able to shift lawyers’ focus from drafting to clients’ special needs and concentrate on producing added value to clients from the start.”
To date, the firm has automated a number of high-profile documents, including its Share Purchase Agreement, Legal Due Diligence Report template, and Corporate Meeting Minutes to name a few. New documents continue to be automated, and the pipeline for automation continues to grow by request from the lawyers.
Based on its impressive results and experience with automation, C&S is now exploring how to bring similar systems to its clients. The client demand is there, and C&S is excited to be one of the few firms able to deliver on it.
For more information, visit Castrén & Snellman or download our latest case study