Innovative Lawyers Wales
Over the years of the Legal Innovation Lab’s operation, we have been exploring and connecting with others working in the Welsh LegalTech space. In particular, we work closely with law firms, lawyers and other legal professionals who have had limited exposure to LegalTech training. Most of the training currently available focuses on commercial solutions and provides no practical, hands-on experience with the underlying technologies used in legal practice. Thus, we set out to develop and deliver a series of interactive workshops specifically designed for trainee solicitors and other LegalTech enthusiasts in Wales, to allow new generations of lawyers to acquire a range of digital competences.
Our workshop series, ‘’Innovative Lawyers’’, took place over 7 weeks, in the summer of 2022. Its curriculum, designed in collaboration with the Cardiff LawTech group of the Law Society, featured sessions on a wide range of technologies relevant to the legal sector, exploring their foundations and applications. In addition to trainee solicitors, some start-up founders and LegalTech enthusiasts also signed up for the workshops, signalling wide interest in the initiative. The workshops were delivered online, with a mix of interactive activities, presentations and panel discussions.
The technologies discussed were handpicked by the Lab and varied in complexity, as well as cost of deployment. At the bottom of the difficulty/cost scale, we explored “zero cost innovation”, sharing tips and tricks that anybody can use to make their work process more effective and efficient using tools they possess already (e.g. Microsoft 365, case management systems, etc.).
We also tackled more complex technologies, such as explainable AI, data analytics and natural language processing (NLP). These are some of the most popular and widely used technologies in LegalTech today and some of the most beneficial tools for the primary holders of legal practice data, i.e., law firms.
Finally, at the top of the difficulty/cost scale, we introduced participants to blockchain, a complex technology that has been deployed for a variety of legal services by private and public institutions. We explained its basics in accessible terms and demonstrated the coding of smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. These technologies offer the ability to securely and transparently store information, enabling the automatic execution of contractual transactions. The participants had a chance to try their hands at creating their own smart contracts, while discussing the potential applications of blockchain technologies to their own areas of practice.
We have received positive feedback and comments from participants and collaborators, which will help us expand and optimise our future workshops for Innovative Lawyers 2.0 in spring 2023. New editions of this initiative will hopefully help more Welsh legal professionals stay at the forefront of legal technology explore new ways to transform the legal profession and deliver next-generation services.
If you would like to keep up to date with what our work at the Legal Innovation Lab Wales (LILW), make sure to follow us on social media on Twitter and LinkedIn and keep an eye on our website.