Slaughter and May is piloting the AI transcription tool JUST: Access, which has launched a beta version of its proprietary legal large language model, developed by leading academics with the help of Innovate UK.
JUST: Access was created by transcribing hundreds of hours of court audio using natural language processing, ChatGPT and machine learning technology. It is a speech to text company, providing transcription, caption and summarisation solutions for the legal and education sectors. Interestingly, its MeetNotes also means you can record the likes of board meetings and upload them for transcription, said to be ideal for startups.
A UK-headquartered company, JUST: Access was co-founded in 2016 by CEO Sophie Walker, a practising barrister who says she was frustrated by the cost and accessibility of legal transcripts. In 2019, JUST: Access became one of the first companies to take part in Slaughter and May’s legal tech incubator Collaborate, and Walker now says: “To partner with Slaughter and May, especially after taking part in their Collaborate Programme in 2019, is a real milestone for us.”
JUST: Access closed a seed round of investment in July 2021 and now counts companies and law firms such as Vodafone and Addleshaw Goddard among its clients.
Commenting on this latest news, Jane Stewart, head of knowledge & innovation at Slaughter and May said: “We are excited to pilot JUST: Access, particularly in our disputes practice, where certain of the tool’s key features will be really handy, but also across the firm more generally – we are always looking for the best new tools and for ways to improve processes.”