In what is believed to be an Australian first for a major law firm, Gilbert + Tobin has filed a number of patent applications to protect technology it has developed in-house.  

The firm has developed a number of cutting edge solutions which automate and streamline manual and time consuming legal tasks relating to database searching and aspects of corporate transactions. Gilbert + Tobin has taken the step of seeking patent protection for some of these solutions.

Partner John Lee who heads up the firm’s patent practice said “We are an innovation focused firm and like many of our clients took the step of implementing a rigorous regime to develop, capture and harness innovation. Seeking patent protection is a natural part of this.  Some of the solutions we have developed will streamline our services, providing greater efficiencies and ultimately delivering superior and more cost effective outcomes for our clients.”

Sam Nickless, COO,  said “As with all industries, technology is becoming increasingly important in the delivery of legal services.  Rather than see technology as a threat, Gilbert + Tobin has embraced it as an opportunity to deliver improved client service and efficiency and in 2015 G+T set up an innovation incubator known as g+t .”

A primary goal of g+t is to automate and streamline repetitive and often manual procedures which arise in a day to day legal practice. The initiative allows Gilbert + Tobin staff from across the business including lawyers, technologists, marketing personnel and managers to collaborate on developing new tools and applications to address some of these challenges. The patent filings are a result of the work of the g+t team.