AI Digital Assistant "Fenni" Named Most Innovative Technology for 2018
The Financial Times has recognized Fenwick as one of North America's most innovative law firms at the 2018 Innovative Lawyers Awards.
The publication also recognized the firm's latest artificial intelligence innovation — an AI digital assistant named "Fenni"— as the top innovation in the Business of Law: Technology category. Fenwick was also commended for its use of Kira — a legal-industry AI platform — that automates aspects of document review in M&A deals, saving time.
"We're continually advancing our use of technology to deliver greater value to our clients," Fenwick chief operating officer Scott Pine said. "AI holds significant promise to drive innovation in the legal industry. We're excited to be recognized for our use of AI-powered solutions."
"Fenni is an easy-to-use interface to one of several AI technologies we are leveraging for even higher levels of efficiency, something we're always focused on doing at Fenwick," Pine added.
Ask Fenni
The firm's AI digital assistant — Fenni — empowers
Fenwick team members to more quickly and easily gather information,
saving time and increasing efficiency. Moreover, Fenni can initiate
workflows such as scheduling meetings or booking a visiting office,
as well as deliver answers. Rather than spending precious time
searching the firm's intranet, emailing colleagues for
information or performing repetitive tasks, Fenwick lawyers and
professionals can now use natural language to type or speak their
questions into a web browser, mobile app or smart speaker.
Fenni Stands Out Among 2018 Innovations
In its profile of Fenni, the Financial Times noted that
the digital assistant "searches the firm's intranet,
document management, sales and human resources systems to answer
frequently asked questions. The tool uses a mix of machine learning
and human input to continuously improve the breadth and quality of
information. It saves time and money for the firm and clients by
streamlining administrative tasks, and collects valuable data to
improve processes and workflows."
"Developed by Fenwick Labs, the firm's in-house technology team, Fenni uses natural language AI technology to map users' queries to workflows built around its database of responses," said Mark Gerow, Fenwick's director of application development and business process. "The system learns more with each new question, building its 'knowledge' along the way."
Fenni is the latest in a series of significant AI initiatives the firm has launched. Other recent AI efforts include Kira, as well as CARA, an automated legal research assistant being used by the firm's litigation practice.