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The ATL Tech Interrogatories: 7 Questions With Ajay Patel From HighQ

ATL Tech Interrogatories asks Ajay Patel of HighQ seven questions about legal technology.

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Ed. note: This is the latest installment of the ATL Tech Interrogatories. This recurring feature will give notable tech leaders an opportunity to share insights and experiences about the legal technology industry.

Ajay Patel co-founded HighQ in 2001 and is CEO. He oversees HighQ’s global operations, strategy and client delivery. Ajay brings a solid experience in corporate strategy and business management, having previously held senior positions at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. Ajay is also a qualified Chartered Accountant, having gained his professional qualification in the London office of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ajay holds a first class honours in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Manchester and a Masters degree in Management Information Systems from the London School of Economics.

1. What is the greatest technological challenge to the legal industry over the next 5 years?

Keeping data private and secure is the biggest challenge. Law firms are set to experience two major trends: the move towards hosting applications and associated data in the cloud and the rise of bring-your-own-device (BYOD), whereby firms allow employees to use their own mobile devices for work. These trends bring with them a host of new considerations when it comes to data security, as data is no longer locked down and stored in-house. In order to ensure their data is safe, law firms need a detailed understanding of where their data is being stored, how threats are being addressed, and how data is being kept secure on mobile devices.

2. What has been the biggest positive change in legal technology since the start of your career?

Mobile and BYOD. Gone are the days of partners expecting secretaries to print out their emails in the morning, dictating responses on Dictaphones to be typed out in emails, or sending important documents via fax. Mobile devices have broken down the walls between lawyers and the information they need. You can now check your intranet, knowledge portal, CMS or file-sharing site at anytime, anywhere, and get things done on the go. An added benefit is that the user-friendly design propogated on small screens is making its way to the enterprise software that law firms use, leading to more intuitive, easy-to-use software across the board.

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3. What has been the biggest negative change in legal technology since the start of your career?

Instead of change causing a negative effect, the biggest negative in legal technology has been a lack of action. The legal industry tends to be risk-averse, and it should be. Attention to detail and confidentiality requires a careful, fastidious approach. The flip side of this, however, is that the industry experiences a lot of inertia around adopting new and innovative technologies. I see too many firms still using old versions of SharePoint or content management systems and thinking these are good enough, when in fact collaboration and file sharing technologies have advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years. This reluctance to graduate to new technologies ends up being a liability for law firms, who miss out on real advances in workflow and transaction management.

4. What do you think would help firms become earlier adopters of new technologies?

CIOs need to embrace change, be more innovative and not settle for the status quo. You can do this without risking the integrity of the firm, by creating small innovation groups whose purpose is to experiment with new solutions and run trials in small departments against defined business metrics. If a solution reduces cost, increases efficiency, and delivers a better user or client experience, it is worthy of adoption. If not, let it fail and experiment with the next one. Your firm won’t stand out in the market or become exceptional if you’re not willing to think outside the box and be prepared to experiment with emerging technology in the right areas.

5. What is the biggest cybersecurity blunder you’ve seen in working with lawyers and law firms?

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The nature of the industry dictates that these things always remain confidential. Unlike other industries, law firms make sure that breaches are never disclosed, even if they’re accidental. You rarely hear about database exposures, for instance, because confidentiality is a law firm’s bread and butter, and if they lose that, they lose clients. Let’s just say that if lawyers and firms don’t follow best practices, like sending confidential information via an unencrypted channel, they make themselves vulnerable.

6. What do you think the future holds for legal technology?

Rather than building up masses of developers and IT resources in-house, they’re reaching for software-as-a-service, which save money and manpower. I believe we’re going to see much more investment in solutions that benefit both firms and clients, like collaboration and CRM systems. Law firms need to leverage the massive opportunities out there by adopting products, services and solutions that are provided by specialist technology companies. There are massive efficiency gains and cost savings to be had by adopting modern technology with a great user experience that helps, and doesn’t hinder, firms from getting their work done. If firms can become more agile and open to adopting new technology, whether that’s software-as-a-service, cloud infrastructure or a flexible BYOD programme, the future could be very bright.

I also foresee an unexpected benefit of this shift to specialist third party software supplers in the form of improved relations between the business and IT. Previously, this relationship has often been strained as a result of failed internal IT projects, significant cost overruns or late delivery. The reality is that the IT department has traditionally been under-resourced to meet the extensive requirements of the business, and I already see the introduction of specialist third party suppliers dramatically improving the perception of IT within the business.

7. PC or Mac?

It doesn’t matter. All major software vendors need to be platform agnostic. Software should just work. Traditionally, law firms have been on the Microsoft stack, but we are now seeing increasing usage of Macs, iOS and Android devices. Personally, I use Apple devices and computers at home and at work and have come to expect any software I use to do what it says on the tin – and Apple generally does.

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