SINGAPORE – Ms Venessa Phoa is a senior associate at Ghows, a law firm that has five lawyers who specialise in technology, intellectual property and data privacy. 

Since its formation in 2019, the firm has steadily implemented artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help manage operations and sharpen workflows. 

Ms Phoa said she and her colleagues had spearheaded the push to adopt AI, though the initial encouragement to identify and research the new technology came from upper management.

“My boss is quite progressive, and told us ‘young people’ that we have to think of ways to improve productivity. So I did my research on what technology would work best in our firm and pushed for it,” said the 29-year-old IT lawyer, noting that her boss had created a culture to make employees feel comfortable in exploring AI for use in the office.

“Every time I finish a contract, I will run it through the software as a back-up, especially during busy periods,” she said.

The tool has helped her save half her time that previously would have been spent on manual checks, said Ms Phoa, adding that contract drafting usually takes her several hours.

“When you’re working at such a high level for days, at an intense level while delivering quality work, the software helps us when it comes to menial things like checking numbers, paragraphs and definitions.”

Ms Phoa also uses Scott, generative AI software that uses natural language-processing capabilities to help lawyers in Singapore quickly retrieve information ranging from judgments to settled cases. 

Another piece of software helps with administrative tasks like billing expenses and employee claims, and helps lawyers keep track of their cases.

“Our practice management software is like the backbone of this law firm. It helps with our productivity and helps us reduce our overheads,” said Ms Phoa, noting that the technology handles administrative tasks that would otherwise require hiring more employees to do them.

However, she said human judgment and thinking is still important in her work, and she tries to not rely on the software entirely.

The firm’s learning style is by “trial and error”, she quipped, when asked how her colleagues have adapted to the introduction of AI.

Ms Phoa added that the office tries to stay up to date on the latest developments in tech and AI where feasible, and see how they will improve their workflow.

While she adapted quickly to the use of research and drafting tools, her learning curve was steeper for the practice management software due to her lack of familiarity with such tools.

“I realised I learnt faster by actually using both software, and after a while, it just integrated into my workflow,” Ms Phoa said.

She said that she had initially been sceptical about the introduction of AI to the firm, as she was cautious of whether it would be as useful as it was marketed to be online.

“But as time went by, I started to see more useful products come out and started to become more interested to see where AI could take the legal industry.” 

Ms Phoa hopes to see more of this technology used in other law firms. “I am definitely feeling more optimistic about using AI, especially since I am part of a more tech-savvy generation, and the legal industry needs to adopt new methods to tighten workflows.”