Business Trip to Japan to Study Advanced Legal Tech Cases
"Must Keep Urging Other Lawyers to Stay Interested"
Min Myung-gi, CEO of the legal platform Ro&Good, went on a business trip to Japan from the 13th to the 18th of last month. He met with the Chief Legal Officer (CLO) who took the local legal platform "Bengoshi (lawyer).com" public, officials from the Osaka Bar Association, five practicing lawyers in Japan, and representatives of legal tech (law + tech) companies.
Min Myung-gi, CEO of Ro&Good, is giving an interview to Asia Economy at the Gangnam office in Seoul on the 9th. [Photo by Ro&Good]
Japan has experienced similar situations to Korea, such as fee issues in the lawyer market after the introduction of law schools, but legal tech is currently classified as a promising industry. Bengoshi.com is listed on the Japanese stock market. CEO Min said, "In Japan, the bar association issued guidelines on the use of online websites for legal services, and recently, the Ministry of Justice released legal guidelines on AI contract review. They have been doing this for over 10 years, and this is the difference from our country." He added, "Even looking at the minutes of the bar association meetings in Japan, they invite legal tech company representatives for public discussions, and at the Ministry of Justice level, they have held many meetings involving legal tech and various government departments. In contrast, the Korean Bar Association has never once invited legal tech companies for seminars or public meetings," criticizing the situation.
As CEO Min pointed out, unlike Japan, in Korea, the legal tech industry and the Korean Bar Association have been in conflict for over two years. On the 20th of last month, the Ministry of Justice held a disciplinary committee meeting to discuss whether the disciplinary actions taken by the Bar Association against lawyers using legal platforms were appropriate, but the decision was postponed. Until an official conclusion is reached, nothing can be done. The legal tech industry is appealing for clear guidelines. CEO Min also said, "There is a big difference between the stance of 'as a regulatory body, we will decide whether to allow innovation' and 'we will think about how to create innovation and provide recommendations.' Judicial decisions evaluate actions after they have occurred, but legal tech and innovation should never be judged judicially," emphasizing his point.
CEO Min stands out in the industry for taking a confrontational stance against the Bar Association. He has made strong statements such as "Expel me. Instead of appealing to the Ministry of Justice, I will file an administrative lawsuit," and "If the Bar Association loses, the executive board should resign en masse." He explained, "When discussing legal tech, there is the Bar Association's logic and the legal tech industry's discussion, but among lawyers who can represent legal platforms, I am the only one. Therefore, I have to continuously urge other lawyers to take interest."
Amid conflicts with the Bar Association and the government's lack of mediation, enthusiasm for investment in legal tech has disappeared, and attracting investment has become difficult. Nevertheless, CEO Min is determined to make Ro&Good a "comprehensive legal platform." On the 3rd, he signed a contract to establish a joint venture called "Legal AI" with AI solution development company WeCover, and they are already providing a free AI legal consultation chatbot service. They have also launched and are operating litigation finance services. CEO Min emphasized, "Ro&Good was originally created with the 'client,' not the lawyer, in mind. The goal is to expand the business according to the process by which the public accesses legal services, so they can feel convenience."
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