There is a broad consensus amongst law firms and in-house legal departments that next
generation Legal Tech - particularly in the form of Blockchain-based technologies and Smart
Contracts - will have a profound impact on the future operations of all legal service
providers. Legal Tech startups are already revolutionizing the legal industry by increasing the
speed and efficiency of traditional legal services or replacing them altogether with new
technologies.This on-going process of disruption within the legal profession offers significant
opportunities for all business. However it also poses a number of challenges for practitioners
trade associations technology vendors and regulators who often struggle to keep up with the
technologies resulting in a widening regulatory gap. Many uncertainties remain regarding the
scope direction and effects of these new technologies and their integration with existing
practices and legacy systems. Adding to the challenges is the growing need for easy-to-use
contracting solutions on the one hand and for protecting the users of such solutions on the
other. To respond to the challenges and to provide better legal communications systems and
services Legal Tech scholars and practitioners have found allies in the emerging field of Legal
Design.This collection brings together leading scholars and practitioners working on these
issues from diverse jurisdictions. The aim is to introduce Blockchain and Smart Contract
technologies and to examine their on-going impact on the legal profession business and
regulators.
