International Legal Technology Association Launches Legal Technology Future Horizons Project

AUSTIN, Texas - May 20, 2013 - PRLog -- The International Legal Technology Association (ILTA (http://www.iltanet.org)), a peer networking organization focused on maximizing the value of legal technology, today announced the ILTA Legal Technology Future Horizons – Transformational Forces Project (http://www.iltanet.org/MainMenuCategory/Future-Horizons) (ILTA Future Horizons), a thought-leadership initiative focused on the future of technology for the legal sector. The project’s core component, a global research study conducted in partnership with Fast Future Research Limited (http://www.fastfuture.com) (Fast Future), looks at the potential impact of new and emerging technologies for law firms and the resulting strategic priorities over the next 10-15 years. Key study findings and recommendations will be delivered through several interim updates, with the final report, an executive briefing and a keynote speech scheduled for ILTA’s INSIGHT 2013 conference in London on November 14, 2013.

The ILTA Future Horizons research study focuses on the emerging technology timeline, major forces shaping both the business landscape and the future of the legal sector. The study is led by Fast Future’s CEO and futurist thought leader Rohit Talwar (http://www.iltanet.org/MainMenuCategory/Future-Horizons/R...), who advises global companies, governments and associations on emerging change and how to develop innovative future growth strategies.

The study is designed to challenge current thinking and provide insights into the development of future business and IT strategies for law firms, law departments and legal technology vendors, including:

·         Key driving forces shaping business and the legal profession

·         A timeline of future IT developments

·         How to leverage IT advances that help enable and enhance tomorrow’s legal organizations

·         Possible scenarios for the role and management of IT in tomorrow’s legal organizations

·         Strategic IT imperatives specific to law firms, legal departments and legal technology providers

"This research highlights how advances in information technology will disrupt and transform the legal sector, how this will impact law firms specifically, how work is done and how value can be delivered,” said Talwar. “The range of innovations already taking place and in the pipeline suggests everything from the structure of client briefs and analyzing documents through to court room practices and client reporting will change dramatically as a result of rapidly accelerating advances in areas such as a mobile computing and communications, deep personalization, wearable and embedded technology, artificial intelligence, big data, predictive analytics, collaborative technologies, knowledge management, automatic translation and smart user interfaces.”

Based on the first interim ILTA Future Horizons report (summary now available on the ILTA project site (http://www.iltanet.org/MainMenuCategory/Future-Horizons)), there are key themes emerging around the role of technology in tomorrow’s legal enterprise:

·         End users increasingly will be mobile, using wearable technologies enhanced with augmented reality (AR) and holographic displays and supported by intelligent digital personal assistants

·         Devices will offer AI-enabled smart interfaces and automatic language translation, and will support user interaction via gestures, language and thought

·         Customer service delivery could be enhanced through deep collaboration environments, portals, shared databases, telepresence robots, advanced videoconferencing, touchable holographs, novel data handling tools and sophisticated security technology

·         Law firm processes could be transformed through developments in AI, KM, the smart capture and analysis of data, predictive analytics, intelligent document production systems, video and audio mining, integrated analytics and true gamification

·         At the IT management level, the cloud will be used for infrastructure, applications, development and data, and priorities for IT management will shift from production to innovation.

Numerous project elements will come into play during the year-long study, including desk research, telephone interviews, an associated global survey and legal industry workshops conducted in New York City on June 14th and during ILTA’s 2013 annual conference in August.  Project deliverables include two interim findings reports, a global ILTA member survey, and the final report in the fall.  In addition, findings and results presentations and workshops will be held during INSIGHT 2013, ILTA’s Europe event in London on November 14th.

“We are very excited about the Legal Technology Future Horizons project and the resulting insights and findings.  ILTA members will have the benefit of this knowledge as they prepare their firms for the future,” stated Randi Mayes, ILTA’s Executive Director. “While ILTA’s Law2020 (http://www.iltanet.org/MainMenuCategory/Publications/Law2020)™ initiative is the catalyst for thinking about the future of law firms, Future Horizons has a sharp focus on transformative technologies, and those findings will be of great interest to legal business leaders and IT professionals alike.”

Project sponsors include AccessData (http://www.accessdata.com/), BigHand (http://www.bighand.com/), BillBLAST (http://www.bill-blast.com/), Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/), Mimecast (http://www.mimecast.com/) and Thomson Reuters (http://www.thomsonreuters.com/). For the complete press release, more details on the initiative and future updates, go to http://www.iltanet.org/MainMenuCategory/Future-Horizons.