Throughout the duration of the conference, emphasis was placed on the crucial steps FLI had taken to digitalise its processes. FLI has consistently pushed the boundaries of LegalTech, with CEO Orlando Casares praising the company as “a pioneer since its inception”. FLI’s latest technological developments included the announcement of FLI NET, a collaboration tool designed to digitally facilitate group pitches and transactions while promoting compliance and due-diligence. Chief Digital Officer and key speaker, Craig Holt, said that “people associated with FLI want […] to be able to work together freely with less centralised oversight and control.” FLI NET will empower members to be proactive, allowing them to pitch their work not just as an important local player but as part of a massive global legal organisation. HQ will instead take on a new dual focus: winning work and supporting members to win work. Results of the new build, pilot and launch are expected to be available within the third quarter.

A presentation on the streamlined case management portal was also conducted. The new build features a sleek new design that simplifies the process of reviewing and sharing projects. Floating notifications have been added to continually update users on the activity of other members and the completion stage of projects, as well as filters and search options for convenient file access.

On the day of the conference, FLI was also able to celebrate the complete rebranding of their logo and website. Mr. Holt was happy to announce that the “look and feel of the organisation are being completely refreshed, allowing for a renewed assault on the market” in the volatile economic climate predicted ahead. Members of FLI have been made more prominent in the website’s new build, with in-depth profiles on all global partners featuring a detailed description of the services they offer and the history behind each company. With an added minor restructuring from a practice-based focus to a sector-based structure, FLI expressed confidence in the headway their company was making in the face of a global pandemic.

Several client breakout sessions were also held via online roundtables throughout the conference, featuring a diverse range of panellists representing companies such as Caterpillar, AVX (Kyocera), DHL, Royal Dutch Shell, Mediapro, Bjark Ingels Group and Vital Strategies to name a few. Through these discussions, projects such as the substantial development of in-house client ‘self-help’ tools were touched upon, which the speakers’ hoped would provide interactive templates, contract lifestyle management systems and business analytic software to its users.

The potential long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic were also discussed, centring around concerns over Cyber security, the potential risk that suppliers would impose more requirements and a predicted shift to advising clients on collections, bankruptcies and workouts. Each speaker offered their personal experiences of the ‘Covid Catalyst’ and how it affected their workings through FLI. Chief Business Development Officer, Daniel Casares-Lauritsen, said of the conference: “We are very excited to see the synergies between FLI HQ, its member-firms, and our clients, as we move towards a new partnership era”.

About FLI

First Law International is a Brussels-based legal network of more than 100 leading national law firms known as FLI NET. Together with our local partners, we've provided legal support to hundreds of clients across the years. Our experts specialise in cross-border legal projects, enabling each of our clients to achieve growth and success on a global scale. We’re passionate about helping to connect large and small-scale businesses to expert Legal talent across borders, using the very best technology. Our leadership team shares 100+ years of collective Legal & Legal Tech experience between them and for over two decades, we've built a solid network created by GCs for GCs. For more information about FLI’s global practice, please see here and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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