07 Nov 2018
Rajah & Tann Technologies acquires LegalComet
Rajah & Tann Technologies (R&T Technologies), a unit of Singapore’s leading law firm, Rajah & Tann Singapore, has acquired LegalComet in a major step forward in using technology to deliver legal services at unprecedented value and efficiency to clients.
Helmed by legaltech veteran Michael Lew, LegalComet offers clients legaltech advisory services including electronic discovery (e-discovery), forensic technology and data governance. The company’s artificial intelligence driven solutions allow litigators and arbitrators managing large amounts of evidence to speedily and conveniently sieve and extract specific data from mountains of documents.
The acquisition positions Rajah & Tann Singapore among the first in Asia to launch a full service e-discovery practice at a time when technology is rapidly disrupting large swathes of industries and the way goods and services are delivered to customers.
LegalComet provides complementary forensic technology services which includes data acquisition and preservation, recovery of deleted data and passwords, cyber breach investigation, as well as mobile and cloud forensics.
R&T Technologies Director Rajesh Sreenivasan, who is also Rajah & Tann’s Head of Technology, Media and Telecommunications, said: “Michael is a former colleague and a leading e-discovery practitioner in Asia and we are excited to have him back at Rajah & Tann.”
“Rajah & Tann Technologies recognises that advances in technology have enabled lawyers to do many mundane, repeatable tasks at incredible speed and accuracy.”
“Michael and his team at LegalComet will help Rajah & Tann Technologies to make a leap forward in delivering legaltech services and solutions to clients across the region, and in strengthening our market position.”
LegalComet was founded by Mr Lew who has over 17 years’ experience in technology risk management, forensic technology and e-discovery consultancy with top legal and advisory firms, including his previous role as the head of discovery for a Big Four advisory firm before striking out on his own. He is also a qualified digital forensics investigator who had provided expert testimonies in several high-profile cases and is the immediate past president of the High Technology Crime Investigation Association, HTCIA (Singapore Chapter).
Mr Lew graduated from the London School of Economics with a Masters in Information Systems. He started his career at a Barristers Chamber in Lincoln’s Inn, before joining Rajah & Tann in the year 2000, where his role was to identify better ways to manage and review electronic evidence.
LegalComet has a diverse team of e-discovery consultants, legaltech lawyers as well as a data science advisor. They have combined experience of over 40 years in legaltech advisory services and solutions.
Mr Lew said: “The legal industry is traditionally seen to be slow to embrace technological innovation because a lawyer’s competitive edge is supposedly built on his or her ability to consume, synthesise and analyse vast amounts of complex information; so it is refreshing and exciting to be part of a leading law firm that believes technology in general and artificial intelligence in particular, can work with lawyers to achieve high-value outcomes for clients.”
“We are confident that the expertise and experience that the LegalComet team has built up over the years will help Rajah & Tann to also be at the cutting edge of technology.”
The e-discovery market in Asia is poised for strong growth. According to a 2017 report by US research firm Global Industry Analysts, the worldwide e-discovery market is expected to be worth $11.6 billion by 2020, with much of the growth coming from Asia Pacific. Between 2015 and 2020, the region is expected to have a compound annual growth rate of 22.5%, making it the fastest in the world.
R&T Technologies offers multidisciplinary solutions including data breach readiness and response, cybersecurity, a virtual law academy, as well as other legaltech services and solutions. It is a new vehicle for Rajah & Tann Asia to adapt itself and provide new legal delivery models and deliverables to meet clients’ demands in the digital economy.
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About Rajah & Tann Asia – www.rajahtannasia.com
Rajah & Tann Asia brings together leading law firms and lawyers in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam, with each offering the highest standards of service to locally-based clients while collectively having the capacity to handle the most complex regional and cross-border transactions and to provide excellent legal counsel seamlessly across the region. With around 700 fee earners, all working towards one shared goal, we are lawyers who know Asia and who give our clients home advantage.