Law firm news: Konexo launches interim legal tech resourcing service + Linklaters launches Law Compare

Eversheds Sutherland’s legal operations company Konexo has launched a technology resourcing service, supplying specialists on a temporary basis to help legal departments identify and adopt the right technology. The news comes as Linklaters launches Linklaters Law Compare in conjunction with Single Rulebook, a digital platform to stay on top of regulatory rule changes.

Konexo says its new consultancy offering is in response to the growing demand from clients for legal tech expertise, particularly in light of advances in AI. The company has seen legal technology options continue to grow in the market since Thomson Reuters noted that 1,369 patents for tech in the sector were filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2019 and more than $1bn of venture capital was invested in 2021. 

Babar Hayat, head of technology and transformation at Konexo, said: “As the business world changes so does the way we carry out legal tasks. Over the years this has meant a gradual increase in technology within the sector. However, in recent years there has been an explosion in the investment, development, acquisition and integration of legal technology in the industry and in-house teams need to be able to access people with legal technology knowledge to implement this new technology successfully. 

“Unfortunately, there is a shortage of this talent, and it is not always easy for in-house teams to know if individuals have the right skillset for the job. This is why we have launched this new service to find and vet talent that we can provide to in-house legal teams on a temporary basis and help them implement the legal technology that they need. The demand for a service such as this shows just how much in house teams are embracing and seeing the value in legal technology.” 

 At Linklaters, Linklaters Law Compare is a tool that highlights how the EU and UK rulebooks for financial services are diverging post-Brexit. We’re told that it provides a single authoritative source of the most up-to-date regulation and guidance for both the EU and UK MiFID II regimes, with the potential to extend to other areas of regulation.

The EU and UK set similar rules for financial markets but, as these regimes evolve, the difference between them is increasing. Businesses interacting with both regimes have to keep on top of this regulatory change. Linklaters Law Compare has been designed to help navigate this challenge as it provides a comprehensive view of both regimes alongside insight from Linklaters’ subject matter experts.

The tool has been developed by Single Rulebook, which helps users search, share and manage regulatory rules on one digital platform. Single Rulebook is a Kaizen Reporting Company.

Pansy Wong, a financial regulatory partner at Linklaters said: “I am thrilled to be launching this innovative product which is truly market-leading in its capability and offering. Linklaters Law Compare offers a valuable collaborative solution with a better overall user experience when navigating regulatory divergence across the EU and UK.

“We believe this technology will form a crucial part of legal compliance toolkits post-Brexit. This tool is further evidence of our commitment to helping our global clients to stay ahead of a rapidly changing regulatory framework in the EU and UK.”