Students develop tech solution for major Melbourne law firm

Swinburne law students have collaborated with consumer products law firm, CIE Legal, to develop a triage tool that helps legal professionals quickly assess consumer warranty claims under Australian Consumer Law.

The team identified the need for a streamlined process to help lawyers quickly and accurately assess whether clients may have warranty claims or defences under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

Swinburne Bachelor of Law students Joseph Roshier, Natalie Wright and Sid Sunt worked closely with CIE Legal to find a technological solution as part of Swinburne Law School's Legal Tech Clinic.

The need for a tech-solution

The students set out to map out the complex requirements of the ACL using flowcharts and logic tables.

The students used insights from Swinburne’s Legal Technology and Innovation unit about how technology is transforming legal practice to inform the project.

They overcame unique challenges in translating complex legal concepts into automated decision-making processes and gained invaluable hands-on experience in the rapidly growing areas of legal technology development.

 “As a team, we conducted thorough research and then used that knowledge to collaboratively develop a user-friendly tool that helps guide users through a complex legal landscape,” Joseph said.

Their tool now enables CIE Legal's team to streamline what was previously a time-consuming manual assessment process.

“We turned the entire process into a math equation, transforming a complex system into something simple, streamlined, and smart,” Natalie said.

The vital role of work integrated learning

“The experience was a great opportunity to immerse myself in a corporate setting, whilst being supported by a team of professionals. It was a chance to make meaningful contributions to the firm,” Sid said.

Director of the Legal Tech Clinic, Dr Mitchell Adams, helped organise the experience and emphasises the value of students gaining real-world experience in the growing field of legal technology.

"The experience provides our students with invaluable real-world experience in solving legal challenges through technology. The project perfectly demonstrates how our students can contribute meaningful solutions whilst developing the practical skills that modern legal practice demands," Dr Adams said.

CIE Legal’s Managing Partner, Peter George, also shared his positive experience of the  collaboration.

“We were thrilled to be involved in this collaboration. Our deep knowledge of Australian Consumer Law meant we could help the students focus on the right legal questions, and they, in turn, transformed that knowledge into something extremely practical,” Mr George said.

“The result is a tool that helps streamline ACL assessments in a way that is fast, consistent and genuinely useful. It is a great example of how fresh thinking and legal tech can come together to solve real-world challenges.”