Legal Hackathon For Innovative Digital Solutions 

In recent years, the legal industry has experienced significant changes due to technological advancement. These advancements have prompted legal practitioners to rethink their traditional practicing and embrace emerging technologies that can shift the paradigm. In this context, legal hackathons have emerged as idea-generation powerhouses in the legal field. As the name suggests, a legal hackathon is an event where professionals from diverse fields come together to ideate and develop technological solutions to legal problems. This brings a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers, technologists, and other professionals together to work collaboratively on technology solutions to legal problems. It aims to create innovative and effective solutions that streamline legal processes and make them more accessible.

The concept of the hackathon was first developed by OpenBSD and Sun Microsystem. OpenBSD saw a problem to solve and organised a group of developers from around the world to get together in Calgary (Canada) and create a system to avoid legal problems caused by export regulations of cryptographic software. Within a week they had a completely integrated operating system. Since then, open BSD has supported and funded 67 hackathons all over the world. Legal hackathons have become more popular in recent years because of their ability to attract individuals from diverse backgrounds. These events bring together lawyers, coders, entrepreneurs, designers, and other professionals, making it easier to develop innovative solutions. Legal hackathons are usually organised by legal tech startups, law firms, or bar associations. Participants typically work in teams to develop technology solutions, such as mobile apps, websites, and software solutions that address specific legal problems.

Legal hackathons are a very popular phenomenon in the US, especially in Silicon Valley. The country experienced one of the first legal hackathons in 2012, organised by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Since then, the trend has gained momentum, leading to several national and international events, such as the Stanford Legal Design Lab, which hosts an annual Legal Design Summit and a ‘Law x Tech’ series. The hackathon usually focuses on topics such as access to justice, legal technology innovation, and designing legal solutions.  

Potential game changer for Nepal 

In a country like Nepal, legal hackathons can be a game changer as it strikes the right balance between traditional legal methods and innovation. It has the potential to act as the impetus for technological innovations that can transform the legal industry. It is because the participants in legal hackathons have the opportunity to develop solutions using the latest technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Machine Learning, and Big Data. Through these events, innovators can identify gaps in the market and create products that meet the needs of lawyers, clients, and the legal industry as a whole. Hackathons are part of tech culture. They are the perfect chance to explore new possibilities. With hackathons, lawyers can take identified client needs, translate them into themes and problem topics then open them up for ideation and prototype development. 

In 2013, the Violence Against Women (VAW) Hackathon was jointly hosted by the World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Young Innovations, and the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) in Nepal. Over 100 volunteers who specialise in technology along with subject experts and practitioners on gender participated in the session to create prototypes of applications that can help tackle specific issues related to gender-based violence. The 18 teams were given 4 minutes to present with 2 minutes question and answer session and three apps were selected as winners i.e. Your Voice, Our Support, Mero Katha, and Self Help. The jury was comprised of diverse experts including Laura Watson (Senior Private Sector Development Specialist, IFC), Padma Raj Bhatta (Director General, Department of Women and Children, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare), and Amrit Kumar Pant (General Secretary).

Legal hackathons can also foster innovation in legal service delivery. They provide a forum for participants to challenge existing practices and find more efficient and effective ways of delivering legal services. The outcome of such hackathons can improve access to justice, reduce legal costs, and enhance the quality of legal services provided. 

For instance, in Israel’s 1st Legal Hackathon which was hosted by Fischer Behar Chen Well Orion & Co in collaboration with Tech &Law Israel, the team “Robota” built a bot that enables people to file independent claims at Israel’s Labor Courts. It was the winner. In the same way, Nepal through legal hackathons can also assist in addressing the legal challenges that inhibit effective legal service delivery.

 Additionally, collaboration is another critical aspect of legal hackathons. The legal industry has traditionally operated within a silo mentality. As Nepal’s legal industry continues to evolve, the need for legal hackathons only increases. Legal hackathons create an environment for cross-functional collaboration and teamwork. Participants with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills can work together to develop solutions to complex legal problems. This collaboration can include lawyers, software developers, user experience designers, business analysts, and other professionals. The collaboration can help to bridge the gap between law and technology.

Transforming traditional governance

In Nepal, at the governance level, various initiatives have been laid for creating a sound virtual environment for facilitating the evolution of legal hackathons. There are many information systems to facilitate administrative efficiency, transparency, and improved service delivery. These systems have been instrumental in transforming traditional government processes and embracing digital solutions. One such system is the Management Information System for Revenue Administration (MIS-R), which enables the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to effectively manage taxpayer information, process tax returns, and enhance revenue administration. Additionally, the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS) automates tax-related processes, including taxpayer registration, tax return filing, and payment, thereby streamlining the tax system. 

To ensure efficient financial management, the Integrated Budget and Accounting System (IBAS) is used by the government to prepare budgets, track expenditures, and promote financial accountability. The Social Security Allowance Management Information System (SSAMIS) enables the Ministry of Social Development to manage the distribution of social security allowances to eligible individuals, ensuring efficient and transparent delivery of welfare benefits. Inland administration, the Land Administration and Management Information System (LAMIS) digitises land records, streamlines land transactions, and facilitates efficient land management. Additionally, the Citizen Registration and Information System (CRIS) is an integrated system that manages citizen registration, demographic data, and the issuance of unique identification cards such as citizenship certificates.

These information systems have significantly contributed to the digitisation of government services in Nepal. They improve accessibility, reduce administrative bottlenecks, and enhance transparency in public service delivery. By embracing e-governance initiatives and leveraging these information systems, Nepal aims to apply the concept of the legal hackathon for paperless, faceless, and cashless governance.

In this milieu, Nepal requires legal hackathon events to encourage legal professionals to pursue innovative and groundbreaking approaches to resolve the complexities of the country’s legal ecosystem and influence policymakers and stakeholders to adopt innovative legal services. The legal sector must be transformed to keep up with the fast-paced technological progress, resulting in future-proof, equitable, and efficient legal services. 

(The author is a student at Kathmandu School of Law.)