Legaltech: the next big opportunity for startups

Join us for a fireside chat on justice innovation and an R300 000 opportunity at Jozihub on 26 May at 10am.

South African entrepreneurs are more than aware of the opportunities for innovative products and services in the ‘techs. Our startups are winning customers and backing in the fintech, agritech and general tech worlds every day. 

But there’s another area which is ripe for disruption, which has yet to see much attention: the law and legaltech.

On 26 May at JoziHub, The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) would like to invite you to join us for a fireside chat with Joburg-based startup Legal Legends. We’ll be exploring some of the opportunities for new legal services that exist across Africa, and look at the approaches that have made Legal Legends (www.legallegends.co.za) successful.

Over the course of the session, we’ll discuss how the widespread use of smartphones and other mobile devices could be used to improve legal servicing, and how the HiiL Justice Accelerator programme can help South African startups in the field.

South Africa rightly has an international reputation for a strong, independent judiciary and the rule of law – but only for those who have access to it in the first place. The opportunities for legal innovation are everywhere: from better ways to enforce B2B contracts, to the thousands of crimes that go uninvestigated every year there’s a desperate need for innovation in the sector. From the lack of resources for those accused of criminal activity to a reliance on NPOs at the rough end of service delivery or land reform, there are systemic issues which could be addressed by smart entrepreneurs in for-profit models.

The HiiL Justice Accelerator is focused on finding and supporting innovations that create rights awareness, provide resolution of disputes and legal problems or improve efficiency and transparency in the existing legal system.

The HiiL Justice Accelerator is backed by the Dutch government and the Ford Foundation,. Last year, the HiiL Justice Accelerator supported two organisations from South Africa. This year, we want to find many more justice innovators who want to take advantage of the international resources we offer to help organisations develop, find funding and scale internationally. 

An initial award of up to 20 000 euros will also be made available for those accepted into the 2017 programme.

Entries to the programme are via the website www.innovatingjustice.com. 

To find out more about Legal Legends, justice innovation and the HiiL Justice Accelerator, sign up for this fireside chat at JoziHub on 26 May. The session starts at 10am sharp, and food and snacks will be provided.