HiveLaw

All South African citizens and corporate entities share responsibility to help build a fair and just society. The South African regulatory framework seeks to encourage and empower corporate participation in commercial enterprises that uplift individuals and communities. 

Cognisant of this significant responsibility, tech start-up LawLabz, in collaboration with leading corporate and commercial law firm, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH), CloudEssentials, and the Nelson Mandela University recently unveiled HiveLaw, an innovative legal office that enables employees of the law clinic and its students to use the same type of technology they would encounter in a modern legal practice. Currently deployed at the Nelson Mandela University Law Clinic, this state-of-the-art technology offers features like client onboarding, document management, email filing, time recording, diary management, and student assessments. 

Brent Williams, CDH CEO says “The vision for HiveLaw was born from the need for the equitable development of legal practice, as well as fair access to justice, and quality legal education in South Africa. Traditional law clinics often struggle with systems that fail to adequately prepare students for the demands of modern legal practice.”

“As one of the country’s large law firms,” says Williams “we believe HiveLaw helps us realise our responsibility to bridge this accessibility gap, and at the same time, helps law clinics keep pace with the rapid technology transformation taking place across the legal sector. HiveLaw is a comprehensive platform enabling law clinic employees and students to engage with the same advanced tools found in top-tier law firms like CDH.”

Dr. Marc Welgemoed, Head of Department of Criminal and Procedural Law, at Nelson Mandela University, says “The Nelson Mandela University Law Clinic is thrilled to have partnered with CDH through its involvement in LawLabz, in piloting and implementing HiveLaw. The Law Clinic is situated at the Missionvale Campus and is a full-fledged Legal Aid Office. We recognise the need to deliver quality legal services to the indigent living within impoverished areas of Nelson Mandela Bay and other surrounding areas, provide training to law students, and play a prominent role in community engagement.”

Dr. Welgemoed continues, “The implementation of HiveLaw at the Law Clinic has been hugely transformative and has enabled us to up-skill our team and the attending students through in-depth training, legal education, and support. HiveLaw has enabled the Law Clinic to harness the latest technology for the benefit of our clients, and just as importantly to support the integrity of our data while supporting regulatory compliance. We believe that the benefits emanating from the implementation of HiveLaw are paradigm-shifting, and we have witnessed significant advancements that will have a lasting impact on the Law Clinic, our clients, and of course the attending law students in their formative years.”

Williams and Dr. Welgemoed believe that the potential applications for cloud-based HiveLaw extend well beyond the Nelson Mandela University Law Clinic. Indeed “the platform can be rolled out to other university legal aid clinics, state legal aid clinics, and smaller law firms, offering them all the same technological advantages.”

The future of HiveLaw holds even greater promise in that it positions the University to interrogate and understand the likely integration of artificial intelligence in legal practice. AI-driven features will enable ‘smart’ legal advising, providing advanced analytical tools and automation that can further enhance the quality and efficiency of legal services. Of course, this comes with great risk and is the perfect example of an area where academia and legal practice must work together to optimise opportunity responsibly. 

“The launch of HiveLaw at the NMU Law Clinic is a momentous occasion, showcasing the power of collaboration and innovation in legal education,” says Williams. “HiveLaw ensures equitable access to justice, empower communities through education and advocacy, and prepares future lawyers with a commitment to public service and social justice. 

As HiveLaw expands its reach, Williams believes the future of legal practice in South Africa looks brighter and more inclusive, promising significant advancements in both education and service delivery.

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