Technology Lawyer
Solicitor - Web dev - Data analytics - Legal ops
Tech lawyer specialising in ICT procurements and software technologies. I've been programming for over 5 years now, from data analytics, to creative coding, to web development. My current side quest is to make drafting contracts easier, more open, and more programmable. I also co-developed Lendlease's legal tech stack for a couple years before becoming a lawyer. I'm big on running, cooking and coding. Statistics guy at heart (econ degree).
A markup language and Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for drafting contracts. This project presents an alternative to the 'WYSIWYG' word-processing format. Here, contract terms are expressed in a structured syntax that is readable to humans, but formal enough for software to parse, validate, and render consistently. Under the hood, the markup language (otherwise known as the 'formal grammar') uses a parser and compiler to turn plain text into structured output such as HTML and XML. Essentially, this project is an attempt to treat contract drafting more like working with source code: clauses can be expressed in a predictable syntax, checked for structural errors, and transformed into cleaner downstream representations. The IDE supports this by providing in interactive drafting experience with many QOL features (incl., native cross-references, embedded defined terms, syntax highlighting, 'IntelliSense', automatic TOC, etc). For more information on markup languages, see my blog: https://www.johnnaoom.com/blogs/20250425%20A%20markup%20syntax%20for%20lawyers
A zippy authoritative search of Australian legislation. Legification helps you quickly identify the most authoritative version of Australian legislation. It is inspired by the former Legify.com.au, which serviced the Australian legal community for more than 13 years.