A lawyer’s work has always been shaped by change. Laws are reformed, society evolves and new phenomena challenge old ways of thinking. Rarely, however, has change felt as rapid or as fundamental as it does now. AI and digital tools have entered the everyday life of lawyers and are transforming the foundations of how work is done. They are no longer distant visions, but concrete instruments that are reshaping the whole profession.
AI can process vast amounts of information, find the relevant passages in documents, run case-law searches in seconds and spot risks that would otherwise require laborious analysis. Inevitably, this shifts the skill set expected of lawyers. Going forward we will need even more curiosity and the courage to experiment, together with the ability to ask what a technology means for the client and what it means for the entire sector. A lawyer who stays genuinely interested in the world and its development will be best placed to serve the client. In this moment, adaptability is one of a lawyer’s most essential skills.
Although AI speeds up and sharpens parts of the work, it does not remove the lawyer’s responsibility to think critically or to say out loud when the machine’s answer is not enough. When routines are handled by technology, it becomes clearer where a lawyer’s true strength lies, in interaction, judgement, context and choices. As the technical work accelerates, clients also see more clearly why they want to trust the lawyer who listens, asks questions and understands their situation as a whole.
Legal services are built on trust, and personal interaction sits at the heart of that trust. A client will not always come to the table with a precise question, sometimes they arrive with uncertainty, concern or pressure. The lawyer’s task then goes beyond analysing facts, it is about listening, framing the right questions and reflecting options. A good lawyer can see and articulate the bigger picture behind the client’s situation and help them move forward. That sparring is often just as important as the final legal solution. When a client feels heard, and feels their situation has been understood from their perspective, they gain confidence even when the answers are not simple. That experience does not arise from algorithmic output, it comes from a present human being.
Adaptability is linked to presence. Lawyers must recognise in their work that the law does not operate in a vacuum, it is always connected to the client’s daily reality, strategic goals and decisions. This is why a lawyer has to see not only what the law says, but how it touches the client’s business and what risks and opportunities it brings with it. Often this calls for sensitivity to the client’s needs, concerns and objectives and the ability to tailor legal advice accordingly. That sensitivity does not exist without human encounters.
Because encounters are the core of our work and the best way to build trust, in September we hosted Folks’ 10th anniversary celebration. Over the evening there were real conversations and moments where clients and colleagues shared experiences and views, paused to listen and felt heard themselves. The warm messages we received afterwards reinforced our feeling that we had succeeded in celebrating what makes this work meaningful, connection and encounters. We hope the photos convey that feeling to you as well.
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Bite-sized legal advice for the pixel-sized revolution
Distance Technologies is a Finnish deep tech start-up pioneering the world’s first true glasses-free mixed reality solution. Immediately after its establishment, the company attracted international interest and significant investments from investors such as Google Ventures, Maki.vc and FOV Ventures. Talouselämä, the largest weekly business magazine in the Nordics, also named Distance as one of Finland's most interesting start-ups.
The founders of Distance are not first-timers when it comes to establishing startups. Urho Konttori, the CEO of Distance and Jussi Mäkinen, the CMO of Distance, among other current founders of Distance were also founders in Varjo. Experience from startups has played a role in the speed the company has grown but also in the way the founding team understood the value of effectively managing legal affairs.
The company’s rapid growth and unique technology required a strong legal foundation from the very beginning. Konttori explains:
"Our technology is completely new, and to even open discussions with potential investors and contractual parties, we had to consider the legal matters carefully from day one. Folks' team has been involved from the beginning to ensure that all the legal pieces are in place."
Efficiency through weekly check-ins
Folks has been Distance’s legal partner since the company's incorporation. Folks’ team has drafted the founding documentation and assisted Distance in financing rounds: first, in the pre-seed funding led by Maki.vc and FOV Ventures, and secondly, in the EUR 10 million investment round led by Google Ventures marking its first investment in a Finnish company. In addition, Folks has provided daily legal support for Distance in various legal matters. Konttori describes the partnership as follows:
”Our cooperation has evolved on the basis of our needs. We’ve formulated a habit of going through governance and daily legal matters in our weekly status meeting with Folks. I find these weekly check-ins especially useful for a start-up which has to juggle multiple tasks, including challenging legal tasks, simultaneously. If there is one tip I would give to any start-up it is to adopt this model as it enables the company to identify potential legal risks and manage them effectively without sending lengthy emails back and forth."
Legal partnership enables Distance to focus on development
Distance has quickly emerged as one of Finland's most promising technology companies. Talouselämä's recognition as Finland's most interesting start-up shows that the company has managed to inspire confidence among investors and markets alike. Distance also recently announced a partnership with Patria, where Patria and Distance will create a unique solution designed for real-time tactical situations and utilizing the patented Distance XR light field and digital optics technology to achieve unprecedented situational awareness combined with exceptional low-light visual acuity.
Folks' ongoing legal support ensures that the company can focus on development without unnecessary delays. In the technology sector, the business environment is changing rapidly, so a partner needs to understand not only the contracts and financing patterns, but also the dynamics of the industry as a whole. Especially when the business is evolving fast, legal support needs to be accessible and practical.
Distance’s CMO Jussi Mäkinen sees collaboration as a clear competitive advantage:
"We need to be able to focus on what we are best at. Folks makes collaboration easy and ensures that legal issues do not distract from growth and development. Their advice is practical, to the point and delivered promptly. That's exactly what a technology company needs from its legal partner."
Distance Technologies is a Finnish deep tech startup founded in 2024 that develops fully eye- and headset-free augmented reality solutions. Its revolutionary technology turns, for example, a car windscreen into an interactive experience without the need for traditional display devices. The innovation uses light field technology to bring a three-dimensional image into the user's field of vision without the need for separate glasses or headgear. The company has quickly attracted international interest, and its development has been supported by major investors such as Google Ventures.
Read more about Distance from their website: https://distance.tech
Legal partner for the tech industry
Folks has proven track-record in providing legal services for technology companies at all stages: from start-ups to established players, tailored to the appropriate stage of their business. The legal aspects of the IT and technology sector require an understanding not only of contracts and financing, but also of business development and future scalability. If you want advice in legal issues, such as financing, corporate structure, contracts, GDPR, protecting your brand and ideas or retaining the people who are vital to your business, backed up by strong business acumen, then we are your folks.
Folks assists Boreo Group in a transaction in which Boreo will acquire the entire share capital of Spetselektroodi AS from its founder, Indrek Ranne.
Founded in 1995, Spetselektroodi operates as a distributor of welding and cutting products and solutions in Estonia. For the fiscal year 2024, the company’s revenue was EUR 3.6 million, and its operating profit was EUR 0.4 million.
The completion of the transaction is subject to approval by the Estonian competition authority.
Read more about the transaction from Boreo's press release.