Law new refers to legal practice that seeks ways to benefit clients in entirely new ways and create strategies that have never before been part of standard law firm practice. This is a very broad concept and, depending on whom one asks, it can mean anything from collaborating with underserved communities to offering innovative fee structures. However, in general it is understood that the new approach to law practice has some sort of positive social impact.
It’s hard to pin down exactly what “law new” means and it’s likely that the term will continue to evolve as the industry shifts to a new delivery model. What is clear, however, is that law new is about providing more than the latest legal tech. It is about providing a fresh perspective on how to solve legal problems in innovative ways and embracing the fact that today’s legal challenges are complex and cross multiple disciplines.
The new way of practicing law has already begun to take shape. Some of the more visible examples include alternative legal services providers, or ALSPs, which are firms, startups and law firm subsidiaries that augment traditional law firm practice by offering a wide range of specialized legal service offerings. These companies often employ non-lawyers and utilize a variety of technology tools to deliver legal advice and services. They are also able to offer more flexible pricing and a different type of fee structure.
Other examples of new law include the use of drones to deliver legal documents, a company that uses machine learning to predict when an employee will leave the company and a lawyer who provides advice over the internet. This new law is helping to drive change in the industry and creating more opportunities for everyone involved.
As the industry moves to a more customer-centric model, it is being shaped by two principal sources: large-scale legal buyer activism and corporate Goliaths with the brand, capital, know-how, customer-centricity, data mastery, tech platforms, agile, multidisciplinary teams, and footprint in/familiarity with the legal space to reverse-engineer its legacy delivery models. The legal function must move away from being a consumer of its own services and become the architect of its own transformation process.
This bill would require City agencies to disclose information regarding breaches of persons’ private identifying information to those affected by the breach, and align City data breach laws with requirements under New York State law.