Following on from the earlier article about buy vs build (see here) legal tech consultancy Springbok AI is launching a no-code tool kit to help law firms and inhouse teams build their own custom ‘wrappers’ on top of LLMs.
It has been in private beta and will now move to general release under the brand ‘Springlaw’, which the group says is a ‘powerful LLM-agnostic solution that enables [you] to transform knowledge and processes into effective, generative AI-powered tools for everyday workflows and client-focused solutions’.
In short, if you are on the build side of the buy vs build debate then this supporting product may well be of use.
Victoria Albrecht, CEO at Springbok AI, said: ‘With the release of our game-changing SpringLaw tool suite – Wizards, Chats and Tables, we’ve taken the process of turning firms’ long lists of use case ideas for workflow automation and client solutions into tangible tools to the next level.’
The SpringLaw platform has three modules:
‘Wizards: Create reusable workflow tools and monetisable client solutions based on your unique knowledge, expertise and processes. This builder, when used out-of-the box, lets users create reusable workflow tools and monetisable client solutions based on your unique knowledge, expertise and processes. Configurers provide “context” in the form of documents and “directions” in the form of background prompts, enabling practices to create and share entire templated document generators, assistants, and workflow automations. A Concierge Service (get it done fast) and White-Glove Service (quality guarantee) are both available options.
Chats: Whether it’s contracts, white papers, reports, RFPs or anything else, Chats enables legal professionals to dynamically and interactively work with multiple documents at once. Use Springbok’s existing prompts or create a bespoke library for your firm, and talk to your documents. Summarise. Draft. Extract. For those that have been following Springbok for a while, Chats was previously known as “Springbok GPT”.
Tables: Need to assess 200 property portfolios for the impact of a leasehold reform bill? Or review 160 director’s liability case outcomes for financial penalties? Want to monitor 5 of your client competitors’ sustainable forestry claims for ESG tracking? Consider it done. SpringLaw Tables lets you find, filter and structure information from 100’s of documents – in minutes. Tables will be rolled out for general access from mid-July.’
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And as to why you can’t just do all of this yourself inside your own innovation team – which to be fair you probably can through various means – Springbok adds: ‘SpringLaw uses a unique prompt architecture methodology that maximises the ability of LLMs to extract information from your data in a safe and secure way. It uses military-grade encryption at rest and in transit and can either be hosted by Springbok or by your firm.’
In short, this is going to be of use to firms that want to do some LLM-based DIY tool-making, but perhaps don’t have a large innovation team to cover off all aspects of the build.
Innovation expert Joe Cohen, who worked with Springbok before when he was at Dentons to build their FleetAI product, and is now at Charles Russell Speechlys and is once again working with the group, commented: ‘There’s a lot to be said for building your own tools on top of foundational models that exist in the market. Ultimately, our goal is to leverage generative AI to build client solutions.
‘Most generative AI technology options are either too broad or too specific, with little scope for customisation. We needed a secure generative AI platform to create prompts and tools that are customised to us, and for the platform to be easy to use and collaborate on – SpringLaw is just that for Charles Russell Speechlys with our new Sidekick platform. I value Springbok’s no-fluff approach, candid guidance, and flexibility. My favourite perk of being a Springbok partner is probably being able to influence the roadmap.’
So, there you go. Buy vs build keeps on going as a subject. And as mentioned in the earlier AL article this morning, the difference now is that LLMs are so powerful and adaptive to legal needs. It does genuinely feel as if the legal sector is going to take DIY (with a LLM core) to a whole new level now.
That said, the vendors will never be far behind. They will be looking at what firms are building and then making sure they cover off those needs in future iterations, or startups will emerge that handle some of the more niche use cases. But, buy vs build will always be there.