Law firm launches legal tech drive

Andrew Kerrigan

East Midlands law firm Sills & Betteridge has launched an interactive online tool to assist drivers with their motoring law questions.

Called ‘Driver Bot’ the firm says the online tool isthe first of its kind in the UK to be made available to the public for free. Driver Bot will provide users with information tailored to their circumstances in seconds, and will be accessed via the firm’s website.

Until the chat bot was launched, motorists requiring information on road traffic laws were limited to visiting either government or legal websites. Generally, says the firm, both require the user to trawl through and digest a significant amount of information to find the answer they need, or a requirement to pay for legal advice.

The bot asks questions in a short text message format to gain answers from the user before providing them with the information they require. It is also supported by on line advisors who can join the conversation if the bot is unable to find the answer they are seeking.

Andrew Kerrigan, associate solicitor at Sills & Betteridge created the Driver Bot. He said: “Working in the legal profession I understand that there are still barriers which put people off accessing legal advice. Those barriers include cost, nervousness, uncertainty about what to ask, and the perceived inconvenience of trying to get hold of a decent, knowledgeable lawyer. The bot is designed very much to overcome these barriers to build user confidence and enable them to access information that will resolve their situation or flag up when the need instruct a lawyer.”

Sills & Betteridge says is it will now develop a wider range of online tools and other legal tech initiatives.

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