After spending a summer at Goodmans, I got the chance to work for Kira Systems, a machine learning contract analysis platform that will soon be piloted at the firm. My job was to train Kira’s software to learn how to read contracts and search for particular provisions to do due diligence.
Before starting at Kira, I didn’t know anything about machine-learning technology or artificial intelligence. I did know from my summer in Goodmans’ corporate practice a little bit about due diligence, a quintessential component of the summer or articling student experience, and how it can sometimes be a difficult and time-consuming task.
Eugene Cipparone, the Director of Professional Support and a Knowledge and Risk Management lawyer at Goodmans, notes that Kira Systems could prove to be transformational, especially for transactional law firms.
Samantha Reburn and Laura Magisano, both corporate associates at Goodmans, have also enjoyed working with Kira thus far. They note, "it saves us valuable time by reducing the burden of the more clerical aspects of due diligence projects. We are eager to see the ways in which Kira can continue to contribute to our practices as its functionality improves!"
My work for Kira not only helped me learn how to read complex contracts, it also quickly made me realize how powerful the software is in uncovering relevant information from contracts. Kira is amazingly elegant and easy to use, and trust me, you’ll be glad to have access to it.
It’s exciting to think that this is just a glimpse into how technology is changing and simplifying the legal practice. Kira is just one of many new legal tools that is being evaluated for use by students and lawyers at Goodmans. It’s difficult to appreciate now, but another reason you’ll love working at Goodmans is the firm’s commitment to innovation and the fact that they are early adopters of technology that will make your life so much better!
