Lawyers and technology experts just got one more reason to visit Scotland. LawscotTech is a new initiative founded by the Law Society of Scotland directed toward promoting technological advancements inside the legal industry. Those efforts include hosting networking events to  facilitate relationships between legal and tech firms and support the ongoing development of new products from the initial idea all the way through to the final design.

Paul Mosson, executive director of member services and engagement at the Law Society of Scotland, believes that firms inside the commonwealth need to embrace new ways of working that drive efficiency and provide a competitive edge on the global stage.

“We're looking to find the answers that we haven't managed to find, and we're also looking to ask the questions we've never asked,” Mosson said. “And we believe that we do that by bringing the legal profession together with the technology experts that are already out there.”

LawscotTech is gearing up to host mingling events throughout Scotland. Lawyers can bring insights into the challenges facing their firms, which could in turn spark ideas from tech experts who are also in attendance from commerce or academia.

Mosson is hoping to attract firms of all sizes. One of the problems that LawscotTech is hoping to address is the prevalence of technologies that don't cater to Scotland's individual regulations and rules. Input from even the smallest of firms could help technology partners engaged through LawscotTech develop products tailored more closely to the region's needs.

“Perhaps the most important part of this is to get our profession energized and want to participate in this, to talk to the owner of a small firm who's probably never thought that they had anything to offer technology companies, to get them to understand that actually do,” Mosson said.

LawscotTech is most interested in advancements made across three key categories: tech that supports legal advice, tech that supports regulatory compliance and tech that supports dealmaking; specifically, the ways in which those processes can be streamlined and fortified against human error.

One way to do that is by cutting human beings out of the picture altogether. Mosson believes that when properly applied, artificial intelligence can take due diligence and significantly reduce the risk factor inherent to the kinds of multimillion-dollar transactions found in mergers and acquisitions work.

He also mentioned that the property acquisition process in England, a tangled web of public bodies, intermediaries and banks, might function more efficiently under a network made of wires instead of flesh and blood. It's all about creating a smoother, less frustrating experience for the client.

“This isn't replacing the role of a solicitor, this is enhancing the services provided, which is better for everybody,” Mosson said.

He thinks that it's possible for LawscotTech to serve as an inspiration for team-ups between other legal and tech sectors rooted in far-flung locations throughout the globe, so long as the people there are willing to work together.

“I think one of Scotland's greatest strengths is the fact that it does have a collaborative approach between business, government, the professional bodies, the regulators, they work well together and I think you need that in order for this to work,” Mosson said.