The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/1172342
22 D iversity and Inclusion (D&I) are as important in the legal profession as they are in any other field. Qualified talent knows no ethnic, racial, or gender bounds; varied perspectives and experiences enrich the work environment and make for better practice of the law. Yet traditionally, it's been difficult to manifest an inclusive and diverse workforce in a great majority of law firms. Their long-established models are relationship based and don't necessarily lend themselves to this concern. Even as companies want to expand their D&I efforts, they are often struggling to identify service providers that complement their cultural values to prevent bias. As large corporate customers increase expectations for an inclusive workforce among their outside counsel, law firms can be caught short if their workforce is not appropriately representative. In the United States and the United Kingdom, General Counsels of big companies are working to encourage law firms and alternative providers into greater D&I to qualify for more awarded business. One obstacle, though, is tracking progress. Huge conglomerates such as Walmart are serviced by hundreds of law firms in the United States alone! Also, for the service provider firms, heavy caseloads and entrenched practices make finding the time and the capacity to change burdensome. B Y P A U L A D O Y L E , E S Q . To survive and prosper, however, all businesses need to respond to the changing demands of their clients. Here, artificial intelligence (AI) and technolo platforms together are changing the "art of the possible." While client relations will always be important for any business, technologies are demonstrating smarter and more cost effective ways to monitor providers for cultural and values alignment. AI and its complementary technolo, machine learning (ML), are transforming business processes across virtually all sectors, including legal. Simply put, AI far exceeds the capacity of human beings to do most things. Think about it—our human How Artificial Intelligence Is Eliminating Bias and Creating Diversity in the Legal Sector