Clifford Chance has completed a proof of concept in Singapore with knowledge management platform Intelllex, which after four and a half years of training its algorithm, automates categorisation and retrieves documents based on context, not just key word search.
Clifford Chance has an innovation lab called Create+65 in Singapore, which it launched at the end of 2018 to work with local startups in partnership with the Singapore Economic Develop Board. Intelllex is one of five startups currently working with the magic circle firm.
While it is not yet clear if or how the proof of concept will be taken forward and how it will fit into Clifford Chance’s global KM strategy (led by director of knowledge Grace Cordell), Intelllex is nonetheless gaining international recognition for its platform, which in June raised $2.1m.
Speaking to Legal IT Insider, April Brousseau, global lead, Clifford Chance Create and Innovation, said: “What’s interesting is that Intelllex is regarded as an option in this space and there are not many vendors that can do what it does.”
The Singapore government has been extremely proactive in positioning Singapore and the APAC region as the most exciting new space for legal technology and Brousseau added: “The government is really hands on and really engaged with the community.”
Brousseau, who was previously at Simmons & Simmons, joined as head of Clifford Chance Create in May 2020. Create’s purpose is to engage with and stay at the forefront of new tech. It was launched in 2018 alongside Clifford Chance Applied Solutions, which houses its digital products.
Brousseau told Legal IT Insider: “I liken Create to our R&D arm and to that end Singapore and APAC is a key market because of the level of government and public sector investment, and because the ecosystem is moving more rapidly.”
In a press release out today (5 October) she says: “INTELLLEX’s key differentiator from other industry players is their ability to combine AI capabilities with deep industry knowledge. This enables truly effective contextual search which can bring efficacy and uptime productivity to a traditionally resource heavy activity. Our target end-state is a product that helps our lawyers find exactly what they need in half the time.”
This is the first pilot project announcement after the company closed its US$2.1m Series A funding in June 2020 by QUEST Ventures, Thomson Reuters Ventures, Seeds Capital etc. The Company will continue to help enhance the digital capabilities of professional services firms as the industry accelerates into the digital economy.