LawtechUK put together a fantastic event for law students and junior lawyers to discuss tips on forging a career in legal tech. The panelists included Bhavya Rawal, Legal Technology Consultant at DWF, Harry Borovick, General Counsel at Luminance, Col Secomb, Co-Founder of Lewis Denly and Legal tech founder and Hugh MacDonagh, Senior Business Development Manager at Legatics. The panelists shared their views on how technology is reshaping the legal industry, tips on landing roles in legal tech and AI's impact on the legal industry.
Some of the different career paths discussed included legal operations and legal technology consultants, business development, legal analysts, or customer success roles for legal tech companies, and without necessitating a career pivot, working as a legal professional who uses technology to provide timely, low-cost, and useful solutions.
Bhavya emphasised that while technology is rapidly transforming the legal sector, it is not about replacing lawyers but empowering them with tools to enhance their productivity and impact. Those who can adeptly utilise technology will undoubtedly gain a competitive edge over their counterparts. The key lies in understanding when and how to leverage technology to solve clients' and organisations' problems.
Hemingway once wrote "gradually and then suddenly" when asked, "how did you go bankrupt?". The pace of change in the legal industry may seem gradual at first, but it will accelerate rapidly. Therefore, it is crucial to stay proactive and adapt to emerging technologies rather than being caught off guard. Embracing technology does not mean forsaking traditional skills such as creativity, judgment, and empathy. Instead, it involves integrating these skills with technological solutions to deliver innovative legal services tailored to clients' needs.
Last, focusing on the fundamentals of problem solving is paramount. Whether it involves utilizing cutting-edge legal tech or relying on human ingenuity, the ultimate goal remains the same: addressing clients' challenges efficiently and effectively. Sometimes a legal solution would involve technology and other times it may involve cutting through all the noise created by technology to find a simpler solution.
Bhavya concluded with the following thought. It is important to understand technology so you can solve legal problems that need technological solution but it is also important to understand technology so you can ignore technology when you need a human solution.
The students mingled with the panellists and asked follow up questions after the event. It was lovely to see so much enthusiasm and curiosity from our future legal experts. We are in safe hands.
Some of the different career paths discussed included legal operations and legal technology consultants, business development, legal analysts, or customer success roles for legal tech companies, and without necessitating a career pivot, working as a legal professional who uses technology to provide timely, low-cost, and useful solutions.
Bhavya emphasised that while technology is rapidly transforming the legal sector, it is not about replacing lawyers but empowering them with tools to enhance their productivity and impact. Those who can adeptly utilise technology will undoubtedly gain a competitive edge over their counterparts. The key lies in understanding when and how to leverage technology to solve clients' and organisations' problems.
Hemingway once wrote "gradually and then suddenly" when asked, "how did you go bankrupt?". The pace of change in the legal industry may seem gradual at first, but it will accelerate rapidly. Therefore, it is crucial to stay proactive and adapt to emerging technologies rather than being caught off guard. Embracing technology does not mean forsaking traditional skills such as creativity, judgment, and empathy. Instead, it involves integrating these skills with technological solutions to deliver innovative legal services tailored to clients' needs.
Last, focusing on the fundamentals of problem solving is paramount. Whether it involves utilizing cutting-edge legal tech or relying on human ingenuity, the ultimate goal remains the same: addressing clients' challenges efficiently and effectively. Sometimes a legal solution would involve technology and other times it may involve cutting through all the noise created by technology to find a simpler solution.
Bhavya concluded with the following thought. It is important to understand technology so you can solve legal problems that need technological solution but it is also important to understand technology so you can ignore technology when you need a human solution.
The students mingled with the panellists and asked follow up questions after the event. It was lovely to see so much enthusiasm and curiosity from our future legal experts. We are in safe hands.
