Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, often referred to simply as Orrick, is a huge law firm that is trying to combine both the field of technology and the world of lawyers. The San Francisco-based company recently introduced a small project that will surely create a bold impact, not only to their clients but also to the industry.
Chairman and CEO Mitchell Zuklie said, “Clients worldwide are asking us how we are addressing innovation and value, and Orrick Labs is a key part of the answer.”
Over the last few years, the perception towards the legal profession not being able to embrace technology itself has come to an end. Law firms are now fond of developing their very own technology, including artificial intelligence. The newly-found innovation will put their service on a higher playing field and will make lawyers more efficient.
It all started with the formation of legal technology, which is basically a domain of third-party companies that are providing legal services to their clients through the use of software and technology.
Established in 1863 in San Francisco, California, Orrick focuses on offering legal advice and litigation services. The company wants to blur the line between tech and law. In fact, the San Francisco-based firm is widely recognized for its innovation when it comes to legal advice, use of technology, project management, and creative staffing. They never fail to impress clients with the unique combination of services they offer.
One advancement that Orrick brought to the table to help their lawyers was the formation of Orrick Labs. The small project is a dedicated in-house team of technology experts focused on accelerating the creation of innovative legal service and leading-edge solutions.
The technologists of Orrick Labs are Michael Ferrel, a veteran of information technology (IT), and oversees all IT infrastructure at Venture Law Group; and Chris Tucker, an expert who designs, develops, and administrates IT systems, software, infrastructure, and security; and Jackson Ratcliffe, a technology architect, leads the team.
Reports say the law technology experts are partnering with the Orrick’s lawyers on customized solutions that improve client efficiency, security, and service quality.
Chairman and CEO Mitchell Zuklie said, “Clients worldwide are asking us how we are addressing innovation and value, and Orrick Labs is a key part of the answer.” He further explained, “With a dedicated team collaborating with our lawyers, our goal is to innovate where optimal solutions are not available in the market.”
Orrick’s Technology Companies Group created a comprehensive dashboard system as the lab’s first product. The software, named the TCG Dashboard, helps lawyers arrange their clients’ documents, and delivers important legal information such as fax numbers.
This tool was, developed in 2016, was designed to expedite service and lists of directors. Although still relatively new to the law firm industry, the system is already used by up to 800 of Orrick’s tech clients globally.
With all that has been said and done, Orrick still wants to innovate even more. The San Francisco-based firm is planning to expand and improve on technological expertise in areas such as drafting, transaction automation, categorization, complex legal queries, and contract review.
Orrick is not the only company that aims to combine both technology and law firms. The following are just some of the firms also investing in technology.
- Littler – Thomas Bender is the Managing Director of Littler, which is located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1942, it serves as an employment and labor law practice firm. Littler made a dashboard system of its own where clients can check progress regarding their cases. The firm also developed an automated program clients can use to navigate various workplace laws.
- Dentons – It is a multinational law company that was established in 2013 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The firm, led by CEO Elliott Portnoy, launched an accelerator program in 2015. The accelerator has the ability to transform the legal profession through investments in legal technology startups.
The following firms, also considered as top competitors of Orrick, that may do the same thing to give the firm a run for their money.
- Morrison & Foerster LLP – The San Francisco-based company is a law firm that gives legal advisory services on corporate, finance, litigation, restricting, benefits, and employment. Paul T. Friedman is their Managing Partner.
- Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP – Pillsbury is a full-service company that deals on financial services, construction, energy and natural resources, and real estate. The firm was established in 1868 in New York.
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP – The Philadelphia-based firm runs corporate, restricting, litigation, finance, benefits, and employment, and intellectual property services. Steven C. Browne is their CEO.
The work ethics of big law firms have always been the same. Because of the newly-discovered approach, however, these companies are already beginning to offer technological services to clients, and has become widespread in offering bold solutions.
