My Digital Lawyer: Wraparound service
A national law firm has launched a legal platform aimed particularly at SMEs, tech companies and start-ups, which combines document generation with training, a ‘knowledge bank’ and advice from its lawyers.
Claire Knowles, managing partner of Acuity Law, said My Digital Lawyer (MDL), released to clients in July, was available to any business from this week for an annual subscription of £1,500 for a single user.
Ms Knowles said other law firms offered templates for clients to build documents, but nothing “the same as this” in the wider support provided and the fact it was available to any business.
She said Acuity was confident that no other firm could offer the “360-degree digital support” provided by MDL and no other platform the same “lawyer-led wraparound in-person support and added reassurance”.
She said Acuity identified a need from clients wanting instant access to legal documents and folders, and created a portal for them four years ago.
Over the past two years, with tech playing an increasing role in legal services, it decided to give clients “greater instant access to legal support, as and when they need it”.
Across the law firm, departments were “doing slightly different things” and the goal was to “pull them together” on one platform.
MDL has an ‘Academy’ for legal training, ‘Document Assist’ for self-generated legal documents, an ‘Insights’ section with updates on how the law is changing and a ‘Knowledge Bank’, with guidance on existing law.
Subscribers also received four ‘legal credits’ from Acuity lawyers – one credit equals one hour of advice.
The platform was developed in-house by Acuity’s team of three software developers and an operations director, three members of the marketing team and the firm’s lawyers.
“One of the key things for us is development and investment in technology so we can be more efficient and effective for clients in our role as legal advisers,” said Ms Knowles.
“It’s not just about legal advice, it’s about giving commercial legal advice or business-to-business advice that really delivers for the client.”
Acuity Law, based in Cardiff, has around 120 employed staff and 45 lawyers who work as consultants. It has other offices in Swansea, London, Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol.
Ms Knowles said the point of the offices was to give lawyers flexibility in the way they worked. “We don’t require people to be in the office five days a week. The offices are our hubs.”
She said there were no immediate plans to open further offices, but the firm had a “growth strategy”, including through acquisitions of firms and teams. Acuity bought specialist dental law firm Goodman Grant in December 2022.
Ms Knowles added: “Some people are scared of technology and robots taking over. We’re embracing it so we can be more effective for clients.”
Steve Berry, chairman of Acuity Law, commented: “We are committed to driving legal services forward and providing innovation-led services to both our clients and the wider business community.
“My Digital Lawyer subscribers can expect further tools and services in the months ahead, as Acuity Law further grows and develops the platform.”
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