Professor Rolf Watter is a partner in one of Switzerland’s most renowned business law firms and has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of PostFinance AG since 2013. He also sits on other well-known boards of directors. We met Mr. Watter for an interview.
Dear Mr. Watter, thank you very much for taking the time to give us an interview. COVID-19 has changed our daily lives. What implications do you feel in your daily work at the law firm?
Almost all of the staff, including myself, work in the home office. We have also changed the way we communicate with employees and clients, and all meetings are now conducted digitally. I am pleased that our firm was able to build the necessary infrastructure before the crisis and that we can now benefit from it.
Change of subject. You have always helped Approovd: whether it is by providing us with advice or your support since the early days. What made you do this?
The legal services market is a rather conservative industry, and not only in Switzerland. However, like all other industries, the legal market is also strongly affected by technological developments. This opens up many opportunities for the profession, but also for investment in new services. In addition, my personal interest in LegalTech and the related question of what the legal services of the future will look like plays an important role. Approovd gave me an early opportunity to help shape the future of the industry.
How do you personally contribute your in-depth know-how to the automation of our legal documents?
The procedure is always as follows: Approovd produces a high quality template, for example a template for the minutes of an ordinary general meeting. I then personally approve it and revise it if necessary. I am in a continuous and constructive exchange with Approovd’s managers.
In this case, would you say that our legal documents are “approved by Prof. Dr. Rolf Watter”?
(Laughs). Yes, that’s absolutely right.
Thank you very much for this interesting conversation. I would now like to leave the last word with you.
Thank you very much. The current situation has led lawyers to rethink their practice and has inevitably moved the digitization process forward. I believe that the journey towards the digital client experience has only just begun and will revolutionize the legal services market. I strongly believe that Approovd is hitting a nerve with the automation of legal documents.
