Legal expense insurance provider launches AI lawyer in South Africa

The AI lawyer has been contextualised to provide answers that align with the South African legal system. The Legal&Tax lawyers and Legal Interact developers have placed guardrails on the Open AI backbone to ensure that its answers are based on South African law.

Try it now

If you have a legal matter you need advice on, or just want to try out the Legal&Tax AI lawyer and save the number for when you do need advice click here, or send 'AI' to +27 (71) 526 8527 from your WhatsApp. The same WhatsApp will empower you to speak to a human if you need.

We want to make a meaningful impact on the South African legal landscape and provide anyone that needs legal help with a real legal advice in the palm of their hands.

Democratising justice

In line with the United Nations sustainable development goals of providing access to justice for all, this AI technology will enable South Africans to quickly access legal insights and advice in the palm of their hand. The AI has been incorporated into the Legal&Tax WhatsApp framework, making it easily accessible and simple to use.

Understanding its capabilities

While the AI lawyer provides valuable insights, it is important to note that it is not a fully-fledged lawyer. It is recommended that users check in with a qualified Legal&Tax professional before making any legal decisions. The AI is a first step to finding the right answers to your legal questions, but if your matter escalates, Legal&Tax, an authorised financial services provider, has a team of qualified lawyers and provides legal expense insurance underwritten by Centriq Insurance Company Limited ('Centriq'), a licensed non-life insurer and authorised financial services provider, FSP No. 3417 to help you ensure justice is carried out.

When will it be available

The teams are excited to release the AI lawyer ahead of South Africa's Freedom Day on 27 April 2023. This day commemorates the first democratic elections held in South Africa in 1994 and led to the development of the Bill of Rights and the South African Constitution, which is based on the foundational values of human dignity, equality, and freedom for all people of South Africa.

What will it cost to use?

At the moment the Legal&Tax AI lawyer is free to use (other than data costs). In time it will be available on a subscription basis, and to existing Legal&Tax legal plan clients.

Legal&Tax and Legal Interact are confident that this new AI technology will help extend the massive strides South Africa has made in ensuring every citizen has access to justice. They look forward to helping empower South Africans with this new tool and ushering in a new era of accessible legal advice.

What the businesses had to say about this launch

Benjy Porter, CEO of Legal&Tax expressed his excitement: “We have embedded a culture of companionship in our business. The rapid growth and adoption of AI technology has enabled us to democratise access to justice for all South Africans in a scalable, but at the same time very caring way. We want to make a meaningful impact on the South African legal landscape and provide anyone that needs legal help with a real legal advice in the palm of their hands. Legal Interact has been an amazing partner in helping us to curate the data to make it AI ready.”

Raphael Segal, the director of Legal Interact, shared his enthusiasm saying about the partnership: "Our mission at Legal Interact is to build technical solutions for the legal community, and we are excited to partner with Legal&Tax, whose purpose is to be a companion to all people in South Africa by providing products and services in the legal sector. Through this partnership, we have blended the technology with a curated selection of South African legal content offering consumers a unique digital experience built with AI."