RegulAItion welcomes LawtechUK launch of Legal Data Vision

RegulAItion welcomes Lawtech UK's launch of The Legal Data Vision - the result of a project led by LawtechUK, working with the Open Data Institute (ODI) and a range of cross-sector experts and others - including RegulAItion - who share a common purpose, of responsibly accessing and using legal data to drive innovation and serve business and society.

Below is a collation of excerpts and extracted quotes, and a link through to the launch document.

• The Legal Data Vision is a shared aim for the legal sector to prioritise the responsible use of and access to legal data to drive innovation, uphold trust and deliver outcomes that benefit those we serve. [It] seeks to to prioritise the responsible use of and access to legal data to drive innovation, uphold trust, and deliver outcomes that benefit society.
• In order to unlock the value of legal data held within the sector, there needs to be a shared vision to treat data as an asset and to work together as a community to increase the capture, use and access to this asset, so it can bring benefits to the sector and to society more broadly.
• Unlocking the power of legal data will be a journey. The shared purpose outlined in this Legal Data Vision is a foundational step on that journey.
  
• Greater capture, use and shared access to legal data can improve efficiency, productivity and transparency, support better decision making, identify new business models and revenue lines, and create opportunities to address unmet and excluded legal needs through data-led innovation.
• The goal is not to exploit legal data. Rather, legal data should be seen as a valuable resource that can drive innovation and help legal services deliver positive outcomes. Similarly, the goal is not to make all legal data open access: confidentiality and legal privilege are critical to legal services, and sensitive information needs to be protected and intellectual property rights respected.
  

“Outright data sharing is an antiquated model. It is highly inefficient for data controllers and it does not protect data subjects. This does not mean however that data must stay closed. There are now technologies available that can enable collaboration between multiple organisations without data owners ever relinquishing control of their data. Cross-sector collaborations like the LawtechUK multiparty legal data access proof of concept are vital for the legal sector to realise the opportunities such new technologies bring in the context of improving the responsible use of and access to legal data.”
Sally Sfeir-Tait, CEO, Regulaition

“Embracing and responsibly using data is critical to the future success of the legal sector and the people it serves. Without data we cannot innovate, hold ourselves to account or provide the clear counsel and service people need. All within the sector need to work to improve how data is collected and made accessible, including realising the shared opportunities of open data in law.”
Jenifer Swallow, LawtechUK Director, Tech Nation

“As we learnt on a proof of concept testing sharing legal data between legal teams and regulators, harnessing legal data is not without challenge. Where confidentiality is paramount, technology often misunderstood and time and resources precious, legal businesses and teams have stalled using their data. However, with privacy enhancing technologies more advanced and regulators ready to support, now is the time for legal businesses and teams that want to lead to begin their data journey.”
Alexandra Lennox, Head of LawtechUK, Tech Nation

“As the legal industry continues to mature its digital and data capabilities, the need for intra-industry collaboration has become ever more apparent. Participating in cross-sector initiatives, like the LawtechUK Sandbox and the LawtechUK multi party data access proof of concept have helped us to frame our own data challenges within the context of the wider industry, as well as to gain handson experience with the technologies available to accelerate our ability to extract greater value from our data, develop our internal DigitalDNA and create better and tailored experiences for our clients in an increasingly data driven and digitalised environment.”
Tara Waters, Partner, Head of Ashurst Advance Digital

“Being part of the LawtechUK multi party legal data access proof of concept challenged us to think differently about the data we hold and how it can be leveraged. Working closely with a diverse stakeholder group provided the perfect platform for examining how new and emerging technologies can be used to facilitate responsible and controlled access to data insights. But, we have to get the foundations right first. Agreeing industry standards and acceptance on sharing insights are two key challenges which the legal sector needs to continue to work towards. If we can get this right, the potential gains are many multiples larger than the sum of parts.”
Jeremy Coleman, Head of Innovation, Norton Rose Fulbright

“At DWF we see data as one of the single biggest factors that will enable our business to deliver more impactful innovation. Being able to access and utilise larger and more consistently curated data sets, is key to our ability to push more breakthrough innovations that change how services are delivered rather just augment what is already done. From our experience so far I don’t see individual organisations focussed on their own data getting us there, it will take collaboration and a common vision.”
Jonathan Paterson, Managing Director - Innovation & Ventures, DWF

“To truly harness the power of legal data, we need to collaborate. Those who create data aren’t always the ones who store it, those who store it aren’t always the ones who own it, those who own it aren’t the ones to analyse it, and those who can analyse it don’t have access to it. To unlock, all these groups need to come together. We know it’s possible, we’ve seen it happen in the Lawtech Sandbox, we now need it to happen at even greater scale. The first steps have already been taken and a community is coming together with a shared interest and desire to solve the data problem. We need more organisations to step forward and be brave. The opportunities are immense, think about having the ability to get a 360 view of commercial contracts, understanding how the law works in practice and knowing the implications of every clause, every regulation – from drafting right up to when it is being tested in a litigation. What’s the first data set we tackle? Who’s the first to open the data vault?”
Chris Grant, LawtechUK Panel member

Detail

Detail of the Legal Data Vision, and detail of how to get involved can be found here: https://resources.lawtechuk.io/files/legal-data-vision