Ms. Leen Vandecruys, you are now CEO of Monard Law, after previous positions as Head of General Legal Affairs at ING and General Counsel at Delen Private Bank. Legal innovation is a more than current topic, about which you have a clear vision. In that area, do you notice any major differences between the financial world, where you come from, and a law firm like Monard Law?
The challenges of digitization and the need for innovation are peculiar to all sectors. From my professional experience and the combination of the role of corporate lawyer in the financial sector, former lawyer and judge in corporate matters, I start from a broad vision to include the approach from client perspective, magistracy, advocacy, … in the consideration and advocacy when designing an innovation strategy.
Both sectors are situated in service activities, which means a specific approach. It is a win-win to be able to build bridges between these worlds and approach from a broader context.
Modern technologies, AI and data modeling, are helping to streamline the organization, make services more efficient and achieve progress.
In both worlds, everything starts with understanding and discovering what this innovation can mean for one’s own services and organization, embracing this evolution and getting to work with it.
Mr. Stephane Criel, in March 2024 you were interviewed by VRT NWS, explaining that Monard Law invested in 2 AI-driven systems. What are your experiences and how do you see the future?
The experience is positive and brings us an advantage. The first system is designed to automatically record time of all achievements made within an Office 365 environment. It is an AI-driven tool that even suggests in which file you delivered a performance. Thus, at least half an hour of administration falls away for me every day. I can devote that time gained to clients or to assisting colleagues, which is the most important thing. In addition, it offers the client transparency about hours charged. It is also instructive because it gives us new insights.
In addition, we have also invested in a tool that helps to draft and modify contracts and clauses, but now also allows further editing using AI. We are thus unlocking our data and at the same time, thanks to AI, we can further improve the results.
But AI is still primarily a tool now; human intervention or control remains essential.
As for that future: things are moving so fast that I don’t dare predict where we will be in 2 years. But I think it’s especially important to dare to experiment with AI, because I think that still happens too little in the legal profession.
Ms. Leen Vandecruys, so Monard Law has already invested in AI-driven systems, what is your vision to adopt AI within Monard Law as a tool for growth, optimizing operations and strengthening client relationships?
Specific to the legal profession, the role of fiduciary and the task of taking care of your client is a connecting one based on a human client relationship. AI and technology work complementarily here to help facilitate, rather than replace, the personal aspect.
As a professional service provider, it is important to know your client and streamline the organization in such a way that a client-entrepreneur can experience the cooperation with Monard Law as a qualitative and concrete help for his professional activities. It is our job to set up the organization accordingly, to follow efficient processes and to use the talents of our lawyers and staff optimally in the process.
Any innovation and efficiency that technology can facilitate here will mean growth and create progress anyway.
Mr. Stephane Criel, you are one of the co-founders of Future Lawyers Belgium (a platform that aims to inspire lawyers to innovate) and were also a member of the Overmorgen Taskforce of the Order of Flemish Bars (whose mission was to provide a vision of the future of the legal profession).How fast is everything evolving?
Not fast enough for some, way too fast for others. But it moves clearly and that’s good. We lawyers are no different from other entrepreneurs. Because it’s moving so fast, I do see some risks for those who think it’s all “grossly overblown.” Innovating requires above all a mindset? And you don’t get that overnight… It takes time to be still and open. Many lawyers (as well as many other liberal professionals, such as accountants recently) complain about workloads and lack of time. But they just get on with it. It is important to make time and space to think about how your service could be different and better. Personally, I would rather not undergo delicate surgery with a surgeon who tells me he doesn’t know where to jump first and who is not there with his mind when it comes to my health. Let alone that I would allow him to operate on me when I find that his equipment is obsolete, because yes, that all costs money those software updates… That is why with Future Lawyers Belgium we focus on that mindset and want to inspire to innovate. We do this mainly by listening to stories from outside our environment. But those who do not make an effort to keep up today are in danger of being hopelessly left behind, I fear.
This interview appeared on 18 November 2024 on the website of AI Hub by Larcier-Intersentia: AI in the legal world | AI-Hub
