Category: Legal Innovators
Innovating in-house legal in Asia Pacific
In this interview with Asia Law Portal, Peter Connor details his views of how legal services competition is impacting the general counsel, both within and outside the Asia-Pacific region
30 People to Watch in the Business of Law in Asia in 2018
As we approach the beginning of 2018 — Asia Law Portal continues its’ tradition begun in 2015 and followed up in 2016 and 2017 — of naming 30 people to watch in the business of law in the coming year. In retrospect — if 2017 were […]
5 Ways Big Data is Changing Legal Practice
Innovation buzz words like “analytics” “AI” and “big data” have been getting a lot of coverage recently, but how are they affecting the bottom line for law firms? Read More: India’s All-round Improvement & Crowning Glory Below are 5 ways that big data can build law firm […]
Contract lawyering – the global gig economy for lawyers
Transport for London’s recent decision to revoke Uber’s licence meant the gig economy was back in the headlines, and not for positive reasons. Indeed, some business’ abuse of employment rights under the guise of the gig economy has meant that for some, this term has become […]
Indian legal startup Lawyered.in: Helping people find lawyers in Asia’s 3rd largest economy
As the world’s sixth largest economy and Asia’s third largest economy, India represents a significant opportunity for any legal services sector entrepreneur. In Asia Law Portal’s continuing coverage of the Asia-Pacific region’s NewLaw and legal startup economy, here’s our recent interview with Raghav Shekhar, Co-founder and […]
An Entity-Driven Approach to Legal Services
A crowded legal marketplace requires law firms to do more than just provide quality legal services
Artificial Intelligence (AI): A new-frontier in legal services competition in Asia
In a news release issued last week – leading international NewLaw firm Axiom announced “the market launch of AxiomAI – a program that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve the efficiency and quality of contracts work. As part of AxiomAI, Axiom will accelerate the use of […]
What is Driving Change in Asia’s Legal Profession?
The famous American jurist Clarence Darrow once said, “The trouble with law is lawyers.” And, when it comes to changing the way lawyers and law firms operate, some of the speakers and panellists at the Legal Inno’ Tech Forum, which took place in Hong Kong in […]
NewLaw shows progress in Association of Corporate Counsel Australia 2017 Benchmarks and Leading Practices Report
The Association of Corporate Counsel Australia recently launched the 2017 Benchmarks and Leading Practices Report, an in-depth and extensive study of trends in the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) in-house legal profession. The report also features 13 general counsels as best practice case studies and 4 […]
Facilitating cross-border trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific: An interview with Babita Ambekar
Babita Ambekar is Head of Duane Morris & Selvam’s India and Japan Practice Groups. She advises multinationals on transactions involving India, Indian companies on their global expansion, in Singapore and abroad. She regularly advises Japanese companies on regional and international matters and is actively involved in the […]
How legal startup CanLaw is helping the Malaysian public find lawyers
Founded in 2016, Malaysian legal startup CanLaw was established as “a FREE service that makes finding the right lawyer a quick walk in the park”, as the company website details. As part of Asia Law Portal’s continuing coverage of the Asia-Pacific region’s legal startup ecosystem — […]
30 people to watch in the business of law in Asia in 2017
As we approach the beginning of 2017 — Asia Law Portal continues its’ tradition begun in 2015 and followed up in 2016 — of naming 30 people to watch in the business of law in the coming year. In retrospect — 2016 represented a year of […]
Legal Startup ai.Law set to deploy “an army of robotic lawyers” in China
Beijing-based legal startup ai. Law was established on China’s Youth Day, May 4, 2016. To date — the new company has completed its angel round of investment. Ms Kathy Gong Xiaosi, the Founder & CEO of ai. Law is a serial entrepreneur who was also once […]
LOD: Changing NewLaw dynamics in Asia
In the first multi-continent merger of its kind, NewLaw leading firms LOD – Lawyers on Demand and AdventBalance joined together in October 2016 under the joint name and brand LOD – Lawyers on Demand. As LOD – Lawyers on Demand detailed at the time, “the deal…saw the […]
GRMSearch Q&A: Legal Recruitment Market in Asia
GRM was recently named the Best Legal Recruitment Agency of the Year in Hong Kong. What did the awarding agency see in GRM as a unique competitive advantage? (Rob Green, CEO, GRMSearch) We actually retained the title! 2015 and now 2016 saw GRM crowned Best Legal […]
Meisterline launched in Hong Kong: Seeks to “decode how legal experts think”
Hong Kong-based Dr Peter Macmillan is the Founder & CEO of Meisterline Analytics, developer of the Meisterline Index™, a unique, science-based lawyer rating service that uses cognitive analysis to measure the expertise of legal specialists. He recently founded Mesterline with an aim to decode (and measure) […]
SingaporeLegalAdvice.com: A one-stop platform for lawyers and legal consumers
The Asia-Pacific region has seen much legal innovation in recent years. And Singapore has been among the leading jurisdictions providing a venue for this innovation. One of those legal entrepreneurs is Yuk Lun Chan, Founder of SingaporeLegalAdvice.com. Here’s our recent Q&A interview with him about what […]
Mills Oakley launches Asia-Pacific’s first legal startup accelerator
In a move that highlights the rapid expansion of the legal startup ecosystem in Asia-Pacific, Australia’s Mills Oakley has launched the region’s first legal startup accelerator. Central to this effort is Mills Oakley’s CEO John Nerurker. In our continuing coverage of the region’s legal startup scene – […]
Legal startup legistify seeks to make the law accessible in India
India’s legal market represents an enormous opportunity for legal startup entrepreneurs. With a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 1.877 trillion USD (2013), it ranks as “the seventh-largest economy in the world measured by nominal GDP and the third-largest by purchasing power parity.” As in other economies in […]
The story of lexvoco: New Zealand’s first NewLaw firm
As Dr George Beaton of Australia’s Beaton Capital detailed recently: “lexvoco is the first NewLaw firm in New Zealand, entering by crossing the Tasman. While this might not necessarily be regarded as noteworthy, the speed with which lexvoco is spreading is truly remarkable.” In an effort to continue Asia […]
Australian Legal Startup Jurimetrics brings statistical big-data analysis to the legal system
Australia is among the leading jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region. In the cultivation of startups focused on the legal services space. And recently, a new Australian startup called Jurimetrics is bringing statistical big data to the legal system. Here’s our recent interview with Managing Director Conrad […]
What are the prospects for legal startups in Japan? An interview with Tim Romero, author of DisruptingJapan.com
Tim Romero is a Tokyo-based innovator, author, and entrepreneur. He’s started several companies since coming to Japan more than 20 years ago — and he’s deeply involved in Japan’s startup community as an investor, founder and mentor. He is the author of the widely-read blog DisruptingJapan.com […]
NewLaw expands in Asia with the addition of Hong Kong’s Korum Legal
As Australian legal commentator and analyst Eric Chin recently detailed, NewLaw in the Asia-Pacific is growing and its’ definition expanding to include alternative business models utilizing technology as a prime focus – above and beyond the traditional NewLaw secondment offer. Too, a number of large international […]
FlySpaces offers lawyers flexible office solutions in the Asia-Pacific region
As the legal services sector continues to grow in the Asia-Pacific region, opportunities for lawyers to create their own career path by working in NewLaw or in flexible working arrangement with traditional law firms – is also increasing. An important part of these changes includes opportunities […]
The New Normal Legal & Compliance Leadership Program debuts across Asia in May 2016
The New Normal Legal & Compliance Leadership Program will take place in Hong Kong (May 23 & 24), Shanghai (May 26 & 27), Singapore (May 30 & 31) and Sydney (June 2 & 3). Conducted by Peter Connor, Founder & CEO of AlternativelyLegal, a newly established consulting and […]
Australian legal startup Lawcadia: A new way to find, engage and manage law firms
Australian legal startup Lawcadia provides clients with a “new way to find, engage and manage law firms”, as its’ CEO & Founder Warwick Walsh explains in this new interview: What is Lawcadia and what inspired its founding? Lawcadia is a new way to find, engage and […]
Australian legal startup Bulletpoints disrupts legal education by centralising CPD in one online portal
The Asia-Pacific region legal startup ecosystem is rich with examples of entrepreneurial zeal applied to the legal services sector — with a number based in Australia — including LawPath, LegalVision and Crowd & Co. That ecosystem also includes Bulletpoints — an online service for legal professionals to […]
Asia-Pacific Legal Startups: An interview with BurgieLaw.com Founder & CEO, Lai Chee Hoe
The Asia-Pacific legal startup ecosystem is growing rapidly. And Asia Law Portal has and will continue to seek to provide a window into this ecosystem by interviewing the founders and entrepreneurs behind this exciting trend. In the most recent chapter of this effort, we interview Mr […]
Australian legal startup Crowd & Co is creating an online market for corporate legal services
Australia-based legal startup Crowd & Co, launched on 30 November 2015, is aiming to help corporations and lawyers alike efficiently source help on transactions via a proprietary online matchmaking platform. Inspired by the engineering sector Similar to American middle-market focused deal sourcing platform Axial, Crowd & […]
Interview with CEO of AsiaLawNetwork: Asia-Pacific Legal Startups
The Asia-Pacific Region holds an ideal mix of opportunity and innovation for legal services providers. In 2016, the Asia-Pacific legal market is now home to a growing number of legal startups and the entrepreneurs leading them, including Dragon Law, LawPath, LegalVision, Conventus Law and AsiaLawNetwork.com. The region is […]
30 people to watch in the business of law in Asia in 2016
In 2015, the Asia-Pacific legal markets saw a deepening of competition among a larger number and forms of legal services provider. From global law firms utilizing mergers to international law firms seeking to emulate market gains by NewLaw firms – to the increasing ascendance of legal […]
What opportunity do law firm mergers in Asia create for foreign law firms?
Local law firms in China remain the most attractive merger partners in Asia for foreign law firms, according to Hong Kong-based Ben Cooper, Managing Director, GRMExecutive. Cooper outlines the reasons why these mergers remain so attractive in this interview: What opportunity do law firm mergers in Asia create […]
How social media is helping Malaysia legal career website Office Parrots achieve success
From traditional law firms to NewLaw firms, legal startups to legal recruiters, a wide variety of legal services sector organizations are utilizing social media as a means to increase visibility and attract new clients. In legal recruitment in the Asia-Pacific region in particular, Major Lindsey & […]
The Malaysian Lawyer.com is launched: An interview with co-founder Marcus van Geyzel
As Office Parrots blog outlined last month, two “seasoned Malaysian legal professionals with more than ten years’ experience [recently came] together to launch TheMalaysianLawyer.com. Founded by Lee Shih, Partner with Skrine, and Marcus van Geyzel, Partner with Peter Ling & van Geyzel, who’s also founder of the widely-read Malaysian law blog LoyarBurok.com , […]
From Lawyers to Malaysia startup entrepreneurs: An interview with the founders of Kaodim.com
Jeff Cheong and Fui Choong both left their careers as lawyers to launch Kaodim in November 2014. Malaysia-based Kaodim is a web/mobile application allowing people to hire and compare professionals providing home services and repairs. The platform grows many small and medium businesses along the way. Kaodim is […]
6 reasons why Southeast Asia is poised to become a major new destination for legal startups
A confluence of trends appears poised to make Southeast Asia a new major destination for legal startups. Among those trends is a spike in funding for startups in the region, the continuing challenge to the traditional law firm business model in Asia, and a growing number […]
Tokyo Legal Startups find support and inspiration from “StartEd”
As Disrupting Japan blog author Tim Romero has outlined: “The startup scene in Japan is laying the seeds for [the country’s] next economic miracle.” And a part of that miracle may very well be Tokyo-based legal startups. Few would know more about this subject than Dublin-based lawyer Naoise Gaffney. […]
Axiom Asia: Transforming the Business of Law in Asia
In September of 2013, Eric Chin of Australia’s Beaton Capital explained why by 2018 — Axiom may become the world’s largest legal services firm. Founded in 2000, Axiom is among a new breed of private equity-backed alternative providers of legal services commonly referred to as “NewLaw”. These “NewLaw” firms […]
Facilitating China-Canada cross-border investment: A Q&A with Stephen D. Wortley of McMillan
Think Asia, Think Hong Kong, a conference focused on facilitating trade and investment with China via Hong Kong, took place in Toronto June 8. Key among the participants was Stephen D. Wortley, Chair, Hong Kong Office and Co-Chair, China Practice Group at McMillan LLP. In conjunction […]
From lawyer to Tokyo startup entrepreneur: An interview with Nikola Pavesic of Justa
Elise Hu (@elisewho), reporting for NPR earlier this month, outlined how the startup scene in Japan is now beginning to gain momentum in an economy still centered around traditional companies that made it big in the latter part of the last century. The Japanese government, however, […]
The Current State of the Malaysian Legal Market: A Q&A with Eddie Law, Founder of eLawyer.com.my
The Malaysian legal market is currently undergoing structural reform while competition is increasing. Here’s an update on the market in the second quarter of 2015 from Eddie Law, Founder of eLawyer.com.my: How would you describe the overall current state of the Malaysian legal market? In general, […]
Why NewLaw should seek to define itself in Asia
In April of 2013, Richard Granat (@rgranat) asked: Is Axiom Law a Law Firm? in a blogpost which appeared on his widely-read eLawering Blog. And Granat is well qualified to both ask and answer the question. Granat is both a virtual lawyer and a CEO and investor […]
Law Firm Sales Team vs ‘Salesy’ Fee Earners
Recently, I visited a law firm partner whose firm has great ambitions for 2015. Namely, this prominent Legal 500 firm plans to turn all or most of their fee earners into sales force. Naturally, this firm aims to continue to grow in the coming years. And […]
Asia-Pacific Region Legal Startups: An interview with LawPath Co-Founder Damien Andreasen
As Angus Kidman (@gusworldau) outlined in a 2013 profile in Australia’s Lifehacker, “LawPath is Australia’s largest and fastest-growing legal platform…connect[ing] people and businesses that are in need of legal assistance to the right lawyer who specialises in their area of need.” LawPath (@LawPath) is among a […]
For international law firms, China alone does not make an Asia Strategy
In February 8, Asia Law Portal’s Twitter feed (@AsiaLawPortal) – tweeted an announcement from international law firm Norton Rose (@NLegal_Global). That they’d added an Asia section to their Financial Services Regulation Blog. Richard Smith (RWS_01). The Australia-based legal business development professional responded to that tweet with […]
Where are Asia’s Legal Startups?
In a blogpost entitled: Where are The Legal Web Startups in Asia? Jeffrey Ling explained: “Ever since I embarked on my very own legal web startup project in June 2012. I started paying attention to legal web startups around the world. And I have been noticing a […]
Hong Kong Legal Startup: A Q&A with Chris Sykes, Client Services Director, Dragon Law
As Iris Leung (@irismtleung), Editor at StartupsHK and Contributor at Forbes Asia wrote just last week: “The limelight has long been shed on Hong Kong legal startup-friendly destination. Besides efficient business setup, a robust legal system, an easygoing regulatory environment and a simple tax system – one […]
30 people to watch in the business of law in Asia in 2015
As 2015 begins – below is a list of 30 key people to watch for commentary and new initiatives in the business of law in the Asia-Pacific legal markets during the course of the coming year: Chris Devonshire-Ellis (@cde_asia) — Founder of Dezan Shira & Associates (@DezanShira) and […]
Can the Big4 accounting firms defeat BigLaw in Asia?
There are many documents about the entry of the Big4 accounting firms into the Asia-Pacific Legal Markets. The most recent move of note was PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) beginning to offer legal advice in Tokyo beginning last November. Australia’s Beaton Capital traces the history of large accounting firms presence in […]
PwC poised for success in the Japanese legal market
“PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has launched a legal services arm in Japan” – as Elizabeth Broomhall (@ELBroomhall) reported last week in Legal Week. “The big four accounting firm began providing legal advice in Tokyo [in November] debuting with one partner offering local law advice and focusing on corporate and […]
Foreign law firms facing unique challenges in Asia
As has been widely reported, the Asia-Pacific region has become the new focus of attention for international law firms. At the same time, international competition in the region is accelerating. The recently published book: A Comprehensive Guide to the Asia-Pacific Legal Markets — outlines challenges (as […]
Wolters Kluwer Hong Kong: Making law readily accessible on one online platform with PrimeLaw
The idea that “The law should be readily accessible” lies “at the heart of the development” of PrimeLaw — Wolters Kluwer Hong Kong’s major product in the making for the past year — according to Chloe Lau, Head of Publishing and Product Development for the company. […]
Hong Kong-based Custom Legal seeks to make legal services accessible to all people
Earlier this year, Janice Chew co-founded Custom Legal Solutions with a firm belief in universal access to professional services. Malaysian by nationality, she was admitted to the High Court of Hong Kong as a Solicitor as well as the High Court of Malaya as Advocate and […]
Hong Kong-based LawTranslate eyes the global legal translation market: A Q&A with Founder and Director Barry Wong
Recently Asia Law Portal had the opportunity to sit down with Barry Wong, Founder and Director of Hong Kong-based LawTranslate (@lawtranslatecom). It was to discuss the company, its core services offer, and plans for the future. LawTranslate focuses on translation services to the legal services sector […]
NewLaw in Asia: The rise of AdventBalance
As prominent strategists in the legal services sector have outlined, the “NewLaw” business model is in increasing ascendance globally. And it is in use in greater frequency among legal services companies (including — but not limited to — law firms in Asia) seeking to provide lower […]
Conventus Law forges a new path for lawyers to engage online in the Asia-Pacific Region
The digital economy in the Asia-Pacific market and its intersection with law firms in Asia and legal services in the region are one highlight of a new book by this author which provides “A Comprehensive Guide to the Asia-Pacific Legal Markets“. Integral to the the book […]
Report on NewLaw from the ReInvent Law Conference
Two significant and unrelated legal industry events and legal innovation in Asia made news among the 800+ delegates at the ReInvent Law conference in New York on February 7. The collapse on February 5 of Heenan Blaikie, an establishment Canadian BigLaw firm, and the announcement on February 7 […]