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JUTA Reinvents Itself and Inspires Possibilities in a Digital World

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South Africa’s preeminent education, academic and legal information publishing house, Juta, is reinventing itself as the go-to provider of legal technology platforms, tools for lifelong learning and solutions to grow businesses under the banner of, “Inspiring Possibilities Together”. Under this impassioned theme, Juta looks to further perpetuate meaningful change in the lives of students; academics; the business and legal fraternity by highlighting its extensive digital presence that complements the publisher’s vast library of subject matters. “For more than 160 years Juta and Company have been associated with quality Law, Education and Academic publishing in Southern Africa. Drawing on our heritage of authority and excellence, Juta has remained relevant by embracing technological innovation and diversifying beyond publishing to offer e-learning and technology-driven information solutions,” says Kamal Patel, Chief Executive Officer. Founded in 1853, Juta has grown both as an institution in the academic spheres and as a source of intellectual wealth spanning multiple genres including academic, business and legal literature. At 167 years the publishing behemoth is rebranding to better reflect the modern-day digital era it now operates under. “The coronavirus pandemic upended the socio-economic lives of millions of people globally and students were not spared either. One of the lessons to come from the pandemic has been the importance of digitisation and being able to reach people anywhere they are. Our digital presence has made it easier for anyone to access any of our resources no matter where in the world they are, allowing them to keep evolving” says Patel. … Continue reading →

A Systemic Approach to the Future World of Law

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A personal admission… I’ll start with an admission, if I may? I have finally owned up to the fact that, for the last twelve months, I have been dabbling and failing to fully articulate what it will take to flourish in the future world of work. But, at last, I am finding my voice; clear in my understanding of how leaders, people and organisations will all need to evolve. My hesitancy has been in part due to the fact that the future feels increasingly precarious, like a bank of dark clouds looming ominously before a storm. You see them but you can’t quite tell if they are going to roll in and smother your hope and dreams, or whether they will dissipate, allowing the sun to break through and shine down once more… As Nelson Mandela wisely said: “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” As an optimist, I prefer to frame the future on hopes and dreams, but how will these manifest? As leaders in law, what can we do to take ownership of our personal regeneration and that of our organisations? How do we beat a new path that delivers future success, not only for ourselves but for the communities and environments in which we cohabit? In an attempt to answer some of these questions, I have spent countless hours poring over LinkedIn posts, as well as a raft of well-researched (but perhaps not so well-reasoned!) articles. While immersing myself in the ongoing discussion around the … Continue reading →

Recording Tips for Legal Professionals

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You can use a smartphone to take a photograph, receive a telephone call, or dictate a letter. A smartphone is a jack-of-all-trades, but master of none if you require a super high-quality image, voice transmission, or recording for a client or a colleague. A smartphone function, such as voice recording, will pale in comparison to a dedicated hardware device with firmware designed to record and edit a voice record, such as the Olympus DS-9500 Digital Voice Recorder. The DS-9500 has been designed to operate solely as a professional voice recorder; the device has been designed from the ground up with one goal in mind, to record audio. In today’s ever changing and evolving world of technology people are often convinced (whether though literature or advise from friends/colleagues) that less is more, this is certainly the case with modern smartphones. They are able to do pretty much anything the user requires of them but that’s not always a good thing! Here are 4 reasons why using a professional Digital Voice Recorder for professional audio recording is better than using a smartphone: Have A Dedicated Device The DS-9500 has been designed solely for audio recording; dedicated one thumb recording and playback buttons make prolonged use of the device a breeze. Recording quality (16 kilohertz) and battery life (up to 30 hours recording) are far superior to what can be found on the average smartphone. Added Functionality The DS-9500 has all the editing functionality one would require from a dedicated professional voice recorder; … Continue reading →

SA Lawyers Must Embrace Technology in Order to Survive and Prosper

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Someone wrote recently, “Technology won’t replace lawyers, but lawyers who use technology will replace those who don’t”. As someone who specialises in eDiscovery and witnessed the transformation in the UK of the use of technology before moving to South Africa some six years ago, I would totally agree with those sentiments. Since living here, it has been my mission to educate lawyers in the use of eDiscovery technology and to persuade the Department of Justice to amend the rules of civil procedure to incorporate eDiscovery, bringing South Africa into the 21st century and aligning with other jurisdictions. I feel privileged to have met Professor Richard Susskind OBE. Amongst other things, he is President of the Society of Computers and Law; IT Adviser to Lord Chief Justice (in the UK), and a renowned author and speaker. Of the many books that he has written, all with a similar theme, I commend at least four to you. There was one he wrote a few years ago entitled, “The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services”, which particularly resonated. There is another called, “Tomorrow’s Lawyers: An Introduction to your Future”, and another entitled, “The Future of the Profession: How Technology will Transform the Work of Human Experts.” His latest is “Online Courts and the Future of Justice”. All of these and others are readily available via Amazon. Do you detect his theme and my interest? Of course, it is the technology and how its use could and should be changing how … Continue reading →

How Tech Can Change the Legal Sector

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In the lead up to the 2020 Legal Innovation & Tech Fest, Eventful People and Africa Legal have partnered to deliver a Legal Community Report offering insight into the current challenges in delivering legal services and the technology-backed innovations being deployed to combat these challenges. This report was compiled in a robust process, commencing with three months of in-depth research by Eventful People, and including in-person research groups in Cape Town and Johannesburg. This was followed by the digital surveying of lawyers across the continent. The findings of the report will now frame the backbone of the cutting-edge agenda planned for the Legal Innovation and Tech Fest which will be hosted at the Maslow Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg on June 8 and 9 2020. Africa Legal is the event’s official ‘Intelligence Partner’. Lawyers and innovators from leading law firms and corporate legal departments such as Adams & Adams Attorneys, BDO South Africa, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Bowmans, Standard Bank, Dentons, Stellenbosch University and Webber Wentzel contributed to the report through participation in the research groups which were designed to understand how technology and innovation in law can drive the profession. More than 100 organisations operating across 24 African jurisdictions engaged with the research process. Seven broad themes were identified as core issues for the legal community to reflect on and these are to form the basis for the upcoming event agenda in 2020: 1. Navigating the Maze of Legal Technology – Past, Present & Future Understanding what technology is currently available, discovering when you use … Continue reading →