MinterEllisonRuddWatts has again been recognised as one of the country’s most innovative firms in the NZ Lawyer Innovative Firms 2020 Report.

Now in its second year, the Innovative Firms Report, released today, showcases New Zealand law firms at the forefront of change and innovation. The report commends firms which practise innovation by embracing new technologies, novel team structures, or fresh ways of working with clients.

Andrew Poole, MinterEllisonRuddWatts Chief Executive says: “Like all industries, the legal profession is facing increased disruption in ways of working as well as economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“New technologies continue to emerge, challenging us to constantly consider how we create and deliver best value for our clients.

“Our commitment to innovation allows us to collaborate with our clients providing them with solutions to help them solve their increasingly complex legal and business challenges in an uncertain time.”

MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ pioneering use of technology includes a fully customisable and configurable client portal, an award-winning and the leading online compliance training solution in New Zealand and Australia, Safetrac, and the country’s first legal AI joint venture to create McCarthyFinch – New Zealand’s pioneering AI-innovator, developing legally-focused artificial intelligence solutions for the global market.

McCarthyFinch’s first product, authorDOCS™, was released to the market in late 2019. authorDOCS™ is an AI-backed add-in for Microsoft Word, designed specifically for enhancing the review and drafting of contracts – delivering time-savings for contract review by up to 60 per cent. Features include smart customisable analysis with alerts, definition/clause linking and the ability to store and share preferred clauses.