I asked him what he did. He said his name was John Lord and that he was in the software business. "What kind of software?" I asked. He said that his company's goal was to make "lawyers obsolete" wherever possible by creating software applications that enable individuals to do more and more legal work without the aid of an attorney. Indeed, Neota Logic, his company, says that its goal is to massively improve access to advice and justice for "the 40+% of Americans who can't afford an attorney when they need one"-in order to produce wills and basic legal documents and even to handle crucial life events such as home foreclosure, domestic abuse, or child protection. Neota Logic is part of a new strain of software called "expert systems" that aims to identify a large chunk of business that clients need, and that lawyers charge for, but that actually can be done by software: think TurboTax for the legal profession. The company's website quoted one commentator complaining that Neota Logic's technology cannot "read between the lines … {or} hold hands and wipe away tears." To which Neota Logic responded: "You will surely see a press release when we can." Lord later explained to me that "I have always had a special respect for trial lawyers and hope it will be a long time before algorithms replace them and juries." Alas, he added, that is "not beyond the realm of possibility of course, but not yet Neota's mission." Suddenly I was glad my daughters were not planning to be lawyers.
( Thomas L. Friedman )
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