Will Saudi Arabian law firms be replaced with robots? Probably not! However, there is a constant pressure to use technology. The fact is that document assembly and AI tools are far from putting Saudi lawyers out of work. In fact, rather than reducing hours, automation is giving lawyers access to more work than ever before. Technology is helping lawyers to be better and more efficient at those jobs.
Saudi Arabian law firms will need to catch up with tech law otherwise soon they will be out of business. Furthermore, some Saudi lawyers operating under their own law firms in Saudi Arabia have not fully accepted and embraced tech as a mechanism of legal practice.
It is important that Saudi lawyers embrace innovation and look for new ways of delivering services. Legal organizations should promote their own innovators and disruptors by creating new teams and roles. If not, we may start to witness a reduction in the number of law firms in Saudi Arabia.
Today, an infusion of technology and law have become the new frontier of navigating legal matters. All laws, both in substance and procedure are accessible to everyone, in fact, the phrase “law is good English and common sense” has become a little louder in our streets. Lately, law firms in Saudi Arabia have therefore witnessed a reduction in the amount of work walking through their doors. People in the kingdom are slowly taking initiative to enlighten themselves on laws and regulations which they apply to themselves rather that consult law firms.
At the same time, Universities must start teaching tech law to law students so they can be prepared for the future. Saudi law schools should really consider offering courses in AI, alternative legal disciplines for example, legal design, project management, legal tech, critical thinking, and also some more commercial, business-oriented courses in order to close the gap between the theory of law that is taught and how law is practiced outside the universities.
Law firms in Saudi Arabia have to learn from international legal practitioners who have grown their legal practices internationally courtesy of tech law. It is only when law firms abandon their long-time practice rules and embrace new tech advancements that they will regain their growth trajectory.
Tech law has a number of benefits to the society. First, it is part of the modern day innovation. Most startups if not all are tech platform based and their challenges can only be solved by an elaborate system of tech law. In addition, tech law assists in resolving disputes in a quicker fashion as compared to operations devoid of tech law. Suffice to say, it is time for Saudi Arabian Law firms to get creative and innovate ways in which they can tap into this ready market through tech law and harness its potential in order to make headway into the future.