Written by Delphine Lucq
In today's technologically advanced world, application development has become an integral part of various sectors, including the legal domain. However, building applications in complex legal environments presents unique challenges that demand careful consideration and expertise.
In this article we will explore the complexities and their impact on application development in intricate Belgian legal environments, such as the Belgian Federal Public Services. We will delve into four key complexities: stakeholder alignment, scope flexibility, keeping the end-user in mind, and ensuring robust security measures in compliance with data protection laws.
Stakeholder alignment: challenged by the Belgian legislative & judicial structure
The Belgian legal system boasts a multi-tiered legislative and judicial framework, making it vital for application development teams to gain a comprehensive understanding of the diverse stakeholders involved. Legal contexts tend to require a longer pre-development path to ensure thorough stakeholder alignment. As a consequence, stakeholder management is crucial to ensure the application aligns with the unique needs and expectations of the various parties, such as governmental institutions, regulatory bodies, legal practitioners, and citizens, and should be launched well in advance. Developing applications that cater to this intricate web of stakeholders requires meticulous coordination and communication to prevent misunderstanding, minimize potential conflicts and boost team dynamics. Stakeholder alignment should hence be started well in advance and should unite and overarch structures and organizations.
Scope: flexibility and proper monitoring
In complex legal environments, the scope of application development can evolve rapidly due to dynamic legislative negotiations and political agendas. Development teams must maintain high levels of flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities and comply with new regulations. Nevertheless, proper scope monitoring mechanisms should be in place to identify changes in requirements and adjust development priorities accordingly. Emphasizing agility in application development is vital to ensure that product releases remain relevant and effective throughout their lifecycle. Solutions that are build based on micro-services, will support development flexibility, by minimizing the amount of technical rework.
Keeping the end-user in mind: From legal expert groups to the Belgian population
Applications developed for complex legal environments serve a diverse range of end-users, from specific legal groups, such as lawyers, judges and clerks, to the entire Belgian population. Understanding the needs and expectations of each user category is paramount to create applications that deliver value. User-centered design and continuous user feedback play a crucial role in building applications that are intuitive, efficient, and resonate with their intended audience, regardless of their legal expertise. Regular demo sessions to a selected group of key stakeholders and timely user acceptance cycles support the application teams to keep the end-user in mind at all phases of development.
Security measures and data protection: Safeguarding sensitive legal information
In the context of application development in complex legal environments, the importance of robust security measures cannot be overstated. Legal applications often handle sensitive data, including confidential case files, personal information, and sensitive legal documents. Data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), impose strict requirements on handling such data. Ensuring compliance and, and going beyond, anticipating these regulations is non-negotiable to maintain user trust and prevent potential legal repercussions. A thorough Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is paramount to localize and cover the potential data risks. Application security robustness should be taken into consideration from the design stage, be challenged in the building stage, through e.g., penetration tests, as well as closely monitored during its lifetime.
Navigating complexity, the BrightWolves way
By fostering open communication, anticipating legislative decision cycles, understanding end-users needs, and implementing robust security practices, application teams can create impactful solutions that facilitate legal processes, enhance efficiency for both citizens and public services, and ensure adherence to legal norms in a complex, nevertheless very interesting, regulatory landscape.
If you would like to discuss how we led application development in complex legal environments for our clients or have any questions on how to apply this yourself, reach to Sven Van Hoorebeeck.