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May 09, 2024

Rajah & Tann paves the way for AI in the legal industry with Crayon and Copilot for Microsoft 365

As one of Singapore’s largest law firms, Rajah & Tann is a leader in innovation, pioneering the adoption and implementation of emerging technologies that continue to shape and reshape legal workflows. With an esteemed reputation and operations stretching across 10 countries, the firm found itself under mounting pressure to oversee a growing number of cases, while delivering at the same speed and level of quality for which they are known.

Recognizing the potential of AI to assist in the management of large legal data loads, Rajah & Tann turned to Crayon, a global leader in IT services and customer-centric innovation, to help them adopt and deploy Copilot for Microsoft 365, making them the first corporate customer in ASEAN to acquire Microsoft’s AI-powered productivity tool. With the implementation of Copilot for Microsoft 365 and continued support from Crayon, Rajah & Tann has been able to significantly reduce the time it takes for lawyers to issue minutes, draft pleadings, and process large data loads.

Rajah and Tann

Pushing the boundaries of innovation enables a leading legal edge

In an industry that is historically hesitant to adopt new technologies, Rajah & Tann breaks the mold by embracing innovation. Not only does this allow lawyers to serve their clients at the highest level, but it’s also enabled the firm to blaze the trail for technology in the legal industry.

With the possibilities around AI continuing to grow, Rajah & Tann saw an opportunity to change the way lawyers tackle the massive amounts of data they are faced with. Producing and reviewing 30 to 50 pages of documents daily had become standard practice, consuming a significant portion of lawyers’ billable hours. To support them in their unwavering commitment to excellence, the firm wanted to find a way to help its lawyers streamline the time-consuming, mundane tasks involved in collating legal pleading submissions.

Rajah & Tann quickly recognized the potential of generative AI for managing large data loads. It needed a solution that seamlessly integrated with its existing IT environment, was deployable organization-wide, and understood legal texts. The ideal technology would accurately process legal information, improving decision making, minimizing errors, and enhancing workflow efficiency in a regulated environment. It had to be user-friendly, embedding into the tools that the lawyers and staff use daily for easy adoption and management. Also, it needed to ensure data security and privacy, inspiring trust in the people the tool is designed to support.

Pioneering Copilot for Microsoft 365 adoption in the ASEAN legal industry

For Rajah & Tann, providing clients with the best legal support possible means committing to a culture of continuous growth and innovation – particularly when it comes to technology. To help take the next step in its digital transformation, Rajah & Tann contracted Crayon, an Azure Expert MSP and one of Microsoft’s key partners offering Copilot for Microsoft 365 solutions, to help guide it through its AI adoption journey. To ensure a smooth deployment, Crayon implemented a two-step approach that included strategies for both technical readiness and adoption.

The goal of the first step was to prepare and progress Rajah & Tann’s Microsoft licensing construct. To qualify for Copilot, it needed to upgrade from its existing CSP license to an enterprise agreement. Crayon not only assisted the firm in swiftly securing the required licensing agreement but also established itself as its trusted AI advisor. Offering a range of Copilot for Microsoft 365 services, from technical readiness to adoption and change management to extensibility, Crayon came well equipped to facilitate Rajah & Tann’s AI transformation through ongoing training and support.

The second phase of Crayon’s deployment strategy focused on knowledge and capacity building. Copilot readiness workshops were held across Rajah & Tann’s business units, starting with the technical team to assess and understand how AI would fit into their environment and explore the different use cases and potential pain points. User training was next, introducing Copilot to the firm’s lawyers and staff who were interested in leveraging the technology. Lastly, security workshops were held to educate the Rajah & Tann IT team on Microsoft’s security suite and enable it to customize future modules to its preferences.

Gaining a true copilot in the legal workflow

The implementation of Copilot has been transformational for Rajah & Tann. Since deploying AI into its lawyers’ daily workflows, the company has seen a dramatic drop in the amount of time it takes to complete administrative tasks. Using Copilot in Microsoft Teams, meeting minutes are issued in two to three hours, as opposed to one to two days.

Thanks to Copilot, lawyers can now devote more energy to legal analysis and developing actionable strategies and solutions that directly address their clients’ core concerns. Staff and lawyers at Rajah & Tann have adopted Copilot as their own virtual assistant, utilizing Teams during in-person meetings so that Copilot can capture the call and quickly distill it into minutes and action items.

The adoption of Copilot has provided lawyers with a tool that allows them to do more with the unique skillsets and years of training that their clients value. It is the people at Rajah & Tann that make it one of the most highly regarded and trusted law firms in Asia, and now, with the help of Copilot for Microsoft 365, they have more time to spend doing what they do best – helping the people they serve.

“We knew that if we were able to get AI embedded into the tools where lawyers and staff spend most of their time that would be ideal. Since we have high use of Microsoft Office products, we felt that as part of our AI journey, it was important for us to deploy Copilot.”

Rajesh Sreenivasan, Head, Technology Media and Telecoms Law Practice, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP

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