Image: Andreas Duckstein CEO & Lawyer LAW APOYNT
Digitization is finding its way into all areas of industry and business, including law. How did you manage to establish yourself as a reliable and competent contact for law firms and legal departments in this field?
I was in a special position from the start. On the one hand, I’m a founder and partner of one fully digitized law firmwho works very efficiently and in a modern way and on the other hand I run a company that specializes in the digitization of law firms and legal departments in companies. We advise and support law firms, but we also develop our own software and special legal tech products.
So I know both the lawyer and the entrepreneur’s point of view. The law firms that we advise and support really appreciate being able to talk to a colleague from lawyer to lawyer and at the same time get the input and the perspective of an IT entrepreneur.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected and weakened many industries here. What effects does the crisis have on legal advice and, in particular, on digitization efforts in the industry?
Corona has shown with brutal clarity how important it is to be well positioned digitally. This ranges from electronic files and paperless office organization to mobile workstations and flexibility for employees. The lawyers who recognized this early on now have a decisive competitive advantage. Since the clients are now often in the home office, data protection-compliant, digital communication is essential. Only if you can work anywhere and on the move will that keep a law firm or legal department running permanently.
Since face-to-face contact should be avoided whenever possible, the importance of video and telephone meetings has grown enormously. In order for this to work and to comply with data protection regulations, the appropriate technology must be available on the one hand and how the medium is used must be clear on the other. Many lawyers had some catching up to do.
I think the pandemic gave digitization a big boost. Now it will be a matter of consistently pressing ahead with relevant projects.
Given the current events, when is the right time for me as a partner in a law firm to tackle the topic of digitization?
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