Adam Jabbar

technology lawyer, founder of Adam Legal Tech

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Adam Jabbar is a technology law expert and practising lawyer based in Islamabad who set up the US company Adam Legal Tech. His practice focuses on corporate law and civil matters. He wrote a book titled ChatGPT for Lawyers: 101 Practical Prompts.

Early life and background

Jabbar played a lot of video games as a child. His father ran a publishing house in 2011. His father has written nine books. [1]

Education

Jabbar completed a BBA before turning to law. He chose law over an MBA, saying law was his passion. He was offered a graduate entry programme that let him take an LLB in the time of an MBA. He was selected by the University of London and scored reasonably well in company law. He also took the CS50 for Lawyers course from Harvard University. [1]

Career

Jabbar is a practising lawyer based in Islamabad and a technology law expert. His practice focuses on corporate law and civil matters. He keeps criminal cases at a distance from his practice. He lived in Dubai for about seven to eight years with his family before moving back to Pakistan. [1]

He started his practice in corporate law, working with a company. He joined a lawyer whom he describes as his senior and mentor. He found corporate work somewhat boring and added general practice. Early in his practice he handled civil, criminal, inheritance and divorce cases. He became fascinated with technology law while practising. [1]

Jabbar observed that India was a very big market for legal process outsourcing (LPO). He started approaching US law firms and offered to do their easier work. The work offered to US firms included drafting assistance and case law search. [1]

He set up a US company called Adam Legal Tech. He recommends Delaware for forming an LLC. He says work began to come in and payment began arriving in dollars. [1]

Jabbar has worked on data protection for three to four years. He drafts privacy policies for EU firms and their tech companies. He also drafts terms and conditions for US startups. He says that fees of five lakh would lose 20 to 30 percent of their value within a year. [1]

Books and writing

Jabbar wrote a book titled ChatGPT for Lawyers: 101 Practical Prompts. He compiled 101 prompts he used in his own legal practice into the book. He decided to make a book rather than teach everyone. He says about 151 copies had sold by the time he woke up. He says the book was selling about 30 to 40 copies a day. [1]

Views on law and the courts

Jabbar says most Pakistani judges are very good and work hard. He says access to justice remains very difficult for the public in Pakistan. He thinks the Civil and Criminal Procedure Codes are quite outdated. He says a recovery suit cannot be won within a week in Pakistan, as no such mechanism exists. [1]

He believes the Peshawar High Court has taken a stand that filings should also be submitted as soft copies. He proposes building a digital database of Pakistani cases, starting with soft copies. He says judges could see what a case is about with a click. He says judges should use AI as a tool and not over-rely on it. [1]

Views on AI

Jabbar says GPT-4 plug-ins and browsing have started to take on case law research. He estimates GPT is 70 to 80 percent accurate for legal research, with 30 to 40 percent flaws. He says data on Pakistan is still quite limited on OpenAI. He says AI gives biased opinions and still does. [1]

He believes the developer, OpenAI, is responsible for AI output, by analogy with vicarious liability. He believes the person whose work is copied should own the content, not the AI. He says AI-generated content should at least credit the person whose work inspired it. [1]

Views on regulation and technology

Jabbar says everything cannot be regulated. He says tech laws should be balanced, not very hard and not very soft. He says all stakeholders should be consulted and no one should act alone. [1]

He says Pakistan has only five or six tech lawyers. He says the FIA cyber crime wing should have young people with tech skills. He says blockchain itself is a very good thing. He says technology is one area through which things can be improved in Pakistan. [1]

Views on Pakistan's future

Jabbar describes himself as a very optimistic person. He says Pakistan is in difficulties now, but hardships do not last forever. He says Pakistan will stand up again in the world. He says culture in Pakistan has changed. [1]

Timeline

2011
Published the book 100 Influential Pakistanis[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2023-09-06 What AI does to law, and the courts too slow to notice Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Adam Jabbar?

Adam Jabbar is a technology law expert and practising lawyer based in Islamabad. He set up a US company called Adam Legal Tech. He also wrote a book titled ChatGPT for Lawyers: 101 Practical Prompts.[1]

What does Adam Jabbar do?

Adam Jabbar is a practising lawyer whose practice focuses on corporate law and civil matters. He also works as a technology law expert. He drafts privacy policies for EU firms and their tech companies, and terms and conditions for US startups.[1]

Where is Adam Jabbar based?

Adam Jabbar is a practising lawyer based in Islamabad. He lived in Dubai for about seven to eight years with his family before moving back to Pakistan.[1]

What company did Adam Jabbar found?

Adam Jabbar set up a US company called Adam Legal Tech. He says work began to come in and payment began arriving in dollars.[1]

What did Adam Jabbar study?

Adam Jabbar completed a BBA before turning to law, choosing law over an MBA. He took the CS50 for Lawyers course from Harvard University. He was also selected by the University of London and scored reasonably well in company law.[1]

What does Adam Jabbar think about AI in the courts?

Adam Jabbar says judges should use AI as a tool and not over-rely on it. He proposes building a digital database of Pakistani cases, starting with soft copies. He estimates GPT is 70 to 80 percent accurate for legal research, with 30 to 40 percent flaws.[1]

References

  1. What AI does to law, and the courts too slow to notice . Thought Behind Things , 2023-09-06.
Show the source passages (62 statements)
  1. Adam Jabbar is a technology law expert. Adam Jabbar is a Technology Law Expert.
  2. He is a practising lawyer based in Islamabad. I'm a practicing lawyer based in Islamabad aur ji wahi kaam karte hain
  3. His practice focuses on corporate law and civil matters. Mera zyada focus hai towards corporate law, civil matters.
  4. He keeps criminal cases at a distance from his practice. Main criminal cases ko thora door hi rakhta hoon.
  5. He completed a BBA before turning to law. pehle BBA kiya tha from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt
  6. He chose law over an MBA, saying law was his passion. I said rather than doing an MBA it's my passion to pursue the law field
  7. He was offered a graduate entry programme that let him take an LLB in the time of an MBA. hum toh aapko graduate entry program de dete hain, we'll give you an exemption aap do saal mein jitni der mein MBA kar rahe hain utni der mein LLB kar lein.
  8. He took the CS50 for Lawyers course from Harvard University. I did a course from Harvard University, CS50 for Lawyers.
  9. He was selected by the University of London and scored reasonably well in company law. I was selected by University of London, company law mein thora acha score aa gaya tha
  10. He played a lot of video games as a child. bachpan mein video games bohat khele thay
  11. He started his practice in corporate law, working with a company. When I started my practice, toh I started with corporate law. Ordigman company yahan pe hai, unke saath maine kaam start kiya.
  12. He joined a lawyer whom he describes as his senior and mentor. Ahmed Raza Kasuri sahab ko maine join kar liya, he was my senior and mentor.
  13. He found corporate work somewhat boring and added general practice. corporate work thora boring laga toh maine kaha let's do the general practice as well.
  14. Early in his practice he handled civil, criminal, inheritance and divorce cases. Civil cases bhi lare ji, criminal bhi lare, wirasat ke case bhi kiye, talaaqein bhi unke case bhi contest kiye.
  15. He became fascinated with technology law while practising. Toh khair karte karte tech law fascinate karna shuru ho gaya.
  16. He lived in Dubai for about seven to eight years with his family before moving back to Pakistan. Main pehle raha hoon taqreeban saat aath saal Dubai mein, family udhar thi then we moved back to Pakistan.
  17. He says that fees of five lakh would lose 20 to 30 percent of their value within a year. Agar humein koi paanch lakh bhi fees de raha hai toh woh saal baad bees tees percent devalue ho jati hai, faida nahi hai.
  18. He observed that India was a very big market for legal process outsourcing (LPO). maine dekha India was a very big market for legal process outsourcing. These are called LPOs.
  19. He started approaching US law firms and offered to do their easier work. I started approaching US law firms aur I told them ke we'll do your easy work.
  20. The work offered to US firms included drafting assistance and case law search. we'll do that work hum aapko drafting mein bhi assist karenge, case law mein bhi search karenge.
  21. He set up a US company called Adam Legal Tech. I made a company in the US by name of Adam Legal Tech
  22. He recommends Delaware for forming an LLC. Delaware. I would recommend Delaware for an LLC.
  23. He says work began to come in and payment began arriving in dollars. kaam milna shuru ho gaya and paise bhi dollars mein aana shuru ho gaye
  24. He has worked on data protection for three to four years. data protection ke upar bhi teen char saal se kaam kar raha hoon.
  25. He drafts privacy policies for EU firms and their tech companies. I already work on drafting privacy policies for EU firms aur unki tech companies ke liye karta hoon
  26. He drafts terms and conditions for US startups. I draft terms and conditions myself for US startups.
  27. He wrote a book titled ChatGPT for Lawyers: 101 Practical Prompts. ChatGPT for Lawyers: 101 Practical Prompts.
  28. He compiled 101 prompts he used in his own legal practice into the book. apne liye jo istemal karta tha apni legal practice mein main GPT ke prompts, maine woh saare 101 ki list compile ki.
  29. He decided to make a book rather than teach everyone. rather than teaching everyone, I should make a book and I should publish it in the world.
  30. He says about 151 copies had sold by the time he woke up. when I woke up to taqreeban 151 copies sale hui hui thi.
  31. He says the book was selling about 30 to 40 copies a day. Aaj bhi taqreeban roz ki 30-40 copies nikal rahi hain iski
  32. A newspaper approached him and reported on the book. Tribune walon ne approach kiya, unhone ek khabar laga di.
  33. He published a book, 100 Influential Pakistanis, in 2011, in which he conducted one-to-one interviews with figures including Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan and Abdul Sattar Edhi. Maine ek 2011 mein bhi book publish ki thi, '100 Influential Pakistanis' jisme maine one-to-one Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, Abdul Sattar Edhi, sab ke interviews conduct kiye the
  34. His father ran a publishing house in 2011. 2011 mein mere father ka publishing house bhi tha
  35. His father has written nine books. Unhone bhi masha'Allah nau kitabein likhi hain
  36. He writes opinion pieces for newspapers on areas of law. main newspaper mein bhi kafi opinions wagera likhta rehta hoon on this area of law
  37. He believes the Peshawar High Court has taken a stand that filings should also be submitted as soft copies. I think Peshawar High Court ne iske upar stand liya hai, ke jo bhi aap case file le rahe hain aur koi bhi submit ho rahi hai, koi affidavit ho raha hai, koi bhi kaghaz adalat mein agar submit ho raha hai, that should also be submitted as a soft copy.
  38. He proposes building a digital database of Pakistani cases, starting with soft copies. sab se pehle ji soft copies banana shuru karein taake ji aapka ek digital database of cases Pakistan mein banna shuru ho
  39. He says judges should use AI as a tool and not over-rely on it. I'm not saying ke judges apne faisle AI ke upar base karein, they use it as a tool, do not over-rely on it.
  40. He says judges could see what a case is about with a click. They could easily see with a click ke is case mein kya hai bhai
  41. He says GPT-4 plug-ins and browsing have started to take on case law research. Ab jo iske code interpreters aa gaye hain, naye plug-ins aa gaye hain, browser chalta hai GPT-4 se, us se case law research woh bhi kaam hona shuru ho gaya hai isme.
  42. He estimates GPT is 70 to 80 percent accurate for legal research, with 30 to 40 percent flaws. Legal research jo hai, 70-80% kafi accurate hai GPT pe, 30-40% flaws hain, errors deta hai.
  43. He says data on Pakistan is still quite limited on OpenAI. Pakistan ka abhi bhi data kafi kam hai OpenAI pe.
  44. He says most Pakistani judges are very good and work hard. bohat ache judges hain Pakistan ke, most of them.
  45. He says access to justice remains very difficult for the public in Pakistan. for the general public as well ke access to justice is still very difficult.
  46. He thinks the Civil and Criminal Procedure Codes are quite outdated. jaise hamara civil ko govern karta hai Civil Procedure Code, criminal ko karta hai Criminal Procedure Code, woh bhi jo mechanism bana hua hai, I think they are quite outdated
  47. He says a recovery suit cannot be won within a week in Pakistan, as no such mechanism exists. agar koi aata hai mere paas ke recovery suit karna hai aur mujhe paise chahiye ji apne ek hafte mein, that's impossible, koi hai hi nahi mechanism Pakistan mein.
  48. He says AI gives biased opinions and still does. AI gives biased opinions, abhi bhi de raha hai.
  49. He believes the developer, OpenAI, is responsible for AI output, by analogy with vicarious liability. But I think the developer is responsible. Open AI is responsible. Yeh vicarious principle ke liability.
  50. He believes the person whose work is copied should own the content, not the AI. ethically and morally the person jiska woh replicate kiya ja raha hai, he should own that content, not the AI.
  51. He says AI-generated content should at least credit the person whose work inspired it. Kam az kam jab AI generated content aaye, neeche source de dein ke maine jo yeh inspiration li hai is content ki, yeh falane bande ne yeh baat kahi thi, toh kam az kam credits toh de usko at least.
  52. He says everything cannot be regulated. Mera personal opinion yeh hai ke everything cannot be regulated.
  53. He says Pakistan has only five or six tech lawyers. Vakeel bhi hardly Pakistan mein paanch ya chhe tech lawyers hain.
  54. He says the FIA cyber crime wing should have young people with tech skills. FIA ke cyber crime wing mein young lot bithayein woh bithayein jinko tech ka kaam aata hai
  55. He says blockchain itself is a very good thing. Blockchain itself is a very good thing.
  56. He says tech laws should be balanced, not very hard and not very soft. Jitne tech laws hain, hamare cyber laws, aise qawaneen banayein that are balanced. Not very hard and not very soft.
  57. He says all stakeholders should be consulted and no one should act alone. Saare stakeholders ko lein. Akele koi kaam na karein.
  58. He describes himself as a very optimistic person. I myself am a very optimistic person
  59. He says Pakistan is in difficulties now, but hardships do not last forever. I think Pakistan abhi mushkilat mein hai and mushkilat saari zindagi nahi chalti.
  60. He says Pakistan will stand up again in the world. inshaAllah Pakistan dobara will stand up in the world.
  61. He says technology is one area through which things can be improved in Pakistan. technology is one area jiske zariye cheezein behtar banayi ja sakti hain
  62. He says culture in Pakistan has changed. Culture has changed in Pakistan. Things have changed.