Riverview acquires US ‘virtual assistants’ pioneer

RIVERVIEW Law, which has offices in Manchester and the Wirral, has acquired an American-based knowledge automation business as part of a strategy to use artificial intelligence in the legal market place.

Riverview has bought New Jersey firm CliXLEX for an undisclosed sum as part of a major step towards the creation of ‘virtual assistants’ which will improve the quality and speed of lawyers’ and paralegal work.

It follows the partnership Riverview Law entered into earlier this year with the University of Liverpool to leverage the university’s artificial intelligence expertise.

CliXLEX owns and licenses a knowledge automation platform that enables knowledge workers, such as lawyers, with basic Microsoft Office skills to create, automate, maintain and evolve complex end-to-end workflows and processes for all areas of legal, compliance, risk and related activity.

Riverview Law has worked with CliXLEX for more than a year to test the effectiveness of the platform to the legal market via its managed service and licensed technology offerings to global customers.

CLiXLEX becomes part of Riverview Law’s group structure and will be based at the Riverview Law Technology R&D and Client Management Centre in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Richard Yawn, the founder and principal shareholder of CliXLEX becomes a director and chief technology officer of this Riverview Law technology subsidiary.

Chief executive of Riverview Law Karl Chapman said: “The race is on to provide virtual assistants to knowledge workers, powerful tools that help people and organisations make quicker and better decisions and allow knowledge workers to focus on the key tactical and strategic matters.”

Riverview’s other offices are in London and New York.