The Digital Associate of Law Firms and the Benefits for In-house Counsel

Ann Björk, Consultant, Virtual Intelligence VQ AB, Sweden

The legal services market is at the verge of some momentous changes, with pressure from clients (especially the stronger in-house counsel) and new technological surroundings and demands for efficient use of IT. Technological developments resembling the computer Watson who could win the TV show “Jeopardy” based on a new kind of intelligent capabilities to understand complex information, will provide new groundbreaking opportunities to make efficient use of computers also in legal work. In this article you will find out how law firms can explore these new possibilities by the use of sophisticated IT tools and how they need to analyze and understand their core business in order to decide what parts of it that could be outsourced, standardized or even automated by the use of IT.

Ann Björk holds a LL M in Business Law (Sw. jur kand). After doing service at Swedish courts, Ann practiced law for over three years as an associate at Vinge, focusing mainly on mergers and acquisitions and corporate law. In 2003, Ann joined Vinge's newly started Knowledge Management Department as one of the firm's first KM Lawyers. In 2007, Ann was appointed Deputy Head of the KM Department, a position she held until she left Vinge in 2010 to found VQ

Virtual Intelligence VQ (VQ) is a consultancy firm that operates within a new and unique niche, where the practice of law is combined with strong IT and knowledge management skills. VQ acts as strategic advisers to support knowledge driven businesses to grow revenue, to improve efficiency and to drive innovation and business change. VQ is founded by two of the most experienced knowledge management professionals in Scandinavia, Helena Hallgarn and Ann Björk.