Crowd & Co partnered with the law schools of UNSW and Monash University to roll out the platform, and said it already has a significant pool of student paralegals registered in the marketplace and ready to work.

“Crowd Paralegal reflects our interest in serving the needs of both the current and future legal industry,” Crowd & Co CEO and founder Jarred Hardman said.

“We know how hard it is for young legal sector aspirants to take the first step in their careers; we’ve been there. We also know that legal teams of all sizes need quality young thinkers to support their work; they have the digital future in their hands.

“The speedy uptake of Crowd Paralegal by students reflects the way technology is changing access to legal resources. Students know the technology and how to use it to their positive advantage. We expect this will be mirrored by the legal fraternity in recognising this easy new way to access a great pool of talent.”

UNSW Law dean George Williams AO said the platform is an important step for the legal profession, which he noted will look vastly different in 10 years’ time.

“As the sector embraces change, it will be crucial to ensure we continue to create pathways for the next
generation of lawyers: a generation open to new ways of doing business,” he said.

“I am delighted that Crowd & Co is offering our students an important taste of the digital, flexible work economy. UNSW Law is proud to be partnering the creation of Crowd Paralegal.”

This sentiment was echoed by Dr Normann Witzleb, associate dean (international and engagement) at Monash law school, who said his university is “very excited” about what Crowd Paralegal can do for students.

“We think the legal industry will be excited too, because we have some of the best law students in the country and they’re now just a few clicks away from the paralegal positions that legal teams both big and small need filled,” he added.