Legal Tech Leaders Join Other Legal Professionals In Open Letter Supporting the Rule of Law

A number of leaders from the legal technology community are joining other legal professionals in an open letter supporting the rule of law.

“Lawyers, judges, and government officials all take an oath to support and defend the constitution,” the letter says. “We write at a moment when constitutional rights and legal norms, long considered stable, are being challenged. Today, our profession must speak clearly and firmly.”

You can view the full text of the letter and add your name as a supporter at this page.

One of the organizers of the letter is Damien Riehl, solutions champion at Clio, who lives in the Twin Cities where federal agents shot and killed Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti on Saturday.

“History will judge us,” Riehl said in an email. “Who is standing up for justice? Who is remaining silent?”

Lawyers, Riehl said, have an obligation to uphold the rule of law and to use their voices to advance justice.

“That has always been true,” he said. “And it’s never been truer than right now. If we don’t stand up and be counted, as supporting the rule of law, who will?”

This moment even has implications for legal tech, he said.

“If the rule of law is ignored, what happens to legal tech? What good is a tool that tells you the law, that isn’t followed? … Even if you’re not moved by our professional and moral obligations, please be moved by your pocketbook.”

Another who helped organize the sign-on campaign is Kara Peterson, cofounder and CEO of Descrybe.ai. In an email, she said that the rule of law is foundation to the work of legal tech innovators.

“When you spend time in legal tech, you quickly realize that our work depends on something deeper than innovation: legitimacy,” she said. “We can build smarter search, better analytics, and more accessible tools, but none of it matters if rules don’t constrain power and rights can be overridden without consequence. …

“This letter is us saying: we support the rule of law. We support judicial independence and accountability. And we believe those principles are not partisan. They are foundational. If we don’t stand up for the conditions that make law meaningful, we shouldn’t be surprised when the work we do becomes meaningless too.”

The letter says it best:

“We, the undersigned, support and defend the rule of law. We support impartial investigations wherever governmental actions raise credible legal and constitutional questions. And we insist on accountability and judicial independence as a business value and a societal imperative. We cross geographic and political lines, supporting our common ideals. Because without the rule of law, our lives — our work, our institutions, and our society — all lose value.”

I have added my name. I hope many others do as well.