Innovating the road towards justice ⚖️

Innovating the road towards justice: Legal Tech start-up Legal Advice Middle East and the UAE Ministry of Justice join forces to enable remote, online access to legal aid, in a bid to adopt the legal industry to challenges faced by social distancing.

The ministry has joined forces with an award-winning, Middle Eastern Legal Tech company to pave the way towards a transformation in the way legal services are provided. The result is the successful launch of an interactive electronic platform for legal advice, which connects lawyers across the UAE with prospective clients. Individuals and SMEs can now communicate with law firms remotely, without needing to visit their offices. All required documents can be exchanged via the platform securely, using encryption, and all invoicing can be done directly online.

The recent pandemic has highlighted the need for legal practitioners to adapt to changes in technology and implement remote working measures. In part, the interactive platform is a better substitute to law firms having to internally implement their own software to interact with their clients, which can be a costly and time-consuming process.

The timing of the launch enables business in the legal sector to continue to operate, without risking the further spread of #COVID19.

Access to justice remains one of the greatest challenges of our time and is even more relevant in light of the looming recession. The Global Insights on Access to Justice Report 2019 found that an array of obstacles are faced by ordinary people when meeting their justice needs. This begins with their ability to recognise the scope and nature of their legal problem, and subsequently actively seeking legal advice to help them overcome this issue. The issue is exacerbated by the recent pandemic, which exploits the most vulnerable in society as unemployment and bankruptcy figures begin to climb exponentially. As more individuals and businesses begin to be faced with harsh realities such as layoffs, insolvencies and bankruptcies, having an easy to use, affordable online platform for legal services can help serve justice where it is most needed. 

Individuals seeking advice can directly contact lawyers, and post an anonymous request for advice. The initial consultation is always free, making the platform accessible to anyone. The anonymity element is also crucial, as it directly tackles the problem that more than 2/3 of people facing legal challenges are reluctant to seek professional advice, and instead opt to directly negotiate with the other party or resolve the issue within their community.

Overall, the platform is designed with one thing in mind- what approach would be most accessible for an individual under distress? It recognises that individuals facing testing circumstances would want advice that is clear, concise and anonymous, as there can sometimes be an element of shame associated with legal problems. Further, individuals can easily choose and find lawyers and law firms based on their office location, practice area, language or rating.

The platform also offers a range of free, self-service online legal resources. It’s easy to use search engine allows consumers to find the texts of local laws and regulations, explanations of legal terms as well as legal articles written by lawyers using the platform.

At its core, Legal Advice Middle East is an online market place bringing consumers together with duly licensed practising lawyers. It has successfully created an online community which brings attorneys and clients across the Middle East together in the simplest, quickest and most affordable way possible, without having to meet in person. The timing of the collaboration with the Ministry of Justice highlights the UAE’s willingness to stay ahead of legal innovations, preserve the safety of its citizens, and to perpetuate access to justice at a time where it is most needed.