Riverview launches first ‘virtual assistants’ to start process of reducing need for lawyers

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Chapman: productising the Riverview Law operating model

Riverview Law’s ground-breaking development of technology for use by in-house counsel and others in the law this week saw the launch of its first two ‘virtual assistants’.

Powered by the alternative business structure’s ‘Kim’ technology platform, they cover instruction and triage, and general case management.

Riverview said the assistants first provide business users with a gateway to accessing legal support, “ensuring that consistent and full instructions are received and that data capture is automated”, and then, for the in-house team, provide case management, document storage and dashboards.

Earlier this year, Riverview chief executive Karl Chapman predicted that the spread of virtual assistants would not remove the need for lawyers but would reduce their number.

The firm said the assistants feature comprehensive reporting. “For example, at the click of a button in the In-house Assistant, a user can see how many live cases the legal team is working on, of what work types, which business units the matters have come from, the risk profile of all the cases, which legal team members are working on the matters and how long cases are taking by user and work type.

“It allows legal leaders to ask the right questions and improve operational efficiency.”

The Instruction and Triage Assistant is free for up to eight legal team users. In-house Assistant costs £1,400 a year for up to 10 legal team users and £120 per user thereafter, with a nominal charge for business users. There are modules that can be added to the latter at an additional cost.

Mr Chapman said: “Our market testing in the UK, US and Canada has proved fascinating and has shown us how big the global market is for these types of cost-effective and easy-to-deploy Virtual Assistants. More will be launched in the coming months, including Advisory and Smart Assistants, as well as different language versions.

“Effectively we are productising the Riverview Law operating model and helping in-house teams deliver better and quicker advice. We know from our use of these tools both internally and with customers that they can add huge value. That’s why we’ve deliberately positioned them so that price and technology are not barriers to adoption. This is one of the ways in which we are seeking to scale Riverview Law globally.”