The NewLaw arm of Big Four firm PwC in Australia has partnered with no-code system Checkbox to help ‘accelerate the digital transformation of inhouse legal departments’. It’s another example of Big Four firms formally linking with legal tech companies. Most recently rival Deloitte has done deals with Thomson Reuters and Persuit.
PwC noted that the relationship could expand into other markets. The deal also further underlines the appetite now for no-code approaches to building workflows in the legal sector.
As part of the deal the Big Four firm has invested in training its teams, such as at its Skilled Services Hub in Adelaide, to support organisations that opt to have PwC ‘design, develop and deliver automated workflows’ via Checkbox.
The deal will also see Checkbox’s solutions ‘wrapped in PwC’s end-to-end legal consulting and digital services for legal operations’. I.e. Checkbox provides the tech, PwC provides the expert capability to integrate it into inhouse teams for their use cases. The end client also benefits from a joined-up offering. It’s a win-win.
Checkbox provides document and workflow automation, and a host of related capabilities (see below). It’s in the same ballpark as several other no-code companies operating in the legal market, such as Neota Logic and Josef, for example.
The company also provides a wide range of no-code ‘apps’, which are basically template workflows that they have already built, (see below), which is very handy and seems likely to give lawyers a good way to get started without having to design things from scratch. These can then be adapted to the client’s needs.
Although perhaps not so well-known in the US and UK markets as other no-code providers to the legal sector, in Australia Checkbox has bagged a wide range of major companies as clients, including: Allianz, Coca-Cola, and Telstra.
Mick Sheehy, Partner at PwC NewLaw, said: ‘Workflow automation is a critical element for inhouse legal departments’ legal tech journeys, resolving headaches in managing contracts, triaging enquiries from multiple stakeholders, fulfilling reporting requirements, and efficiently communicating with the business.
‘When it comes to technology providers, we cast a wide net for emerging players, but are extremely selective when picking strategic partners. Checkbox, our first strategic business process automation partner, is a best-in-class platform, backed by a team with the right cultural fit and strong values alignment. This perfectly complements our broader services and consulting portfolio in Australia and across the global NewLaw network.’
Evan Wong, CEO at Checkbox, added: ‘The biggest challenges that organisations face during digital transformation is not just how to use new technologies, but everything that comes before and after digital tools are deployed. PwC NewLaw have expansive capabilities from ideation workshops, process design and change management, through to the ongoing expansion and maintenance of those services, plus governance and best practice models that make this an extremely robust partnership.’