FEAR & GREED | Business News Q+A: How tech is changing the legal industry in Australia
Oct 30, 2025
Jack Newton, Founder and CEO of Clio, and Caralee Fontenele, Director at Scalable Law, discuss how technology is revolutionizing the legal industry. They delve into the data lock-in crisis, revealing that one in three law firms face hurdles in accessing and migrating their data. Jack emphasizes the critical need for data portability, while Caralee shares her firsthand challenges with vendor constraints. They advocate for open standards and better vendor practices, highlighting a growing demand for regulatory changes to ensure data freedom across all platforms.
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Data Lock-In Is A Widespread Crisis
- Data lock-in is widespread: one in three Australian law firms face high costs and delays to access their data when leaving a vendor.
- Jack Newton argues data portability should be fundamental to protect clients and law firms from vendor friction.
Short-Term Tactics Create Long-Term Harm
- Short-term business tactics drive data captivity as some vendors deliberately create friction to retain customers.
- Newton says long-term trust requires open data exchange and cooperation across software providers.
Long Vendor Relationship Hid Hidden Restrictions
- Caralee described being on the same vendor since 2009 and discovering restrictive practices over time.
- She switched after meeting Clio, attracted by its clear non-lock-in stance and scalability for fluctuating firm size.