Fenwick, M., & Vermeulen, E. P. (2019). The Lawyer of the Future as “Transaction Engineer”: Digital Technologies and the Disruption of the Legal Profession. In Legal Tech, Smart Contracts and Blockchain (pp. 253-272). Springer, Singapore This chapter introduces two connected arguments about the future of the legal profession . First, the ongoing “digital revolution ” will continue…
Tech Law Fest 2022
After 2 years of virtual events, Singapore’s annual TechLaw.Fest returned for the fifth time with a hybrid event. The conference was attended by around 3,300 participants from more than 100 countries and 60 speakers from 20 to 22 July. The keystone event was the virtual reality metaverse exhibition, that was held on the first day…
The Intersection of Technology Competence and Professional Responsibility: Opportunities and Obligations for Legal Education
Abstract Technology has fundamentally changed the legal profession and the delivery of legal services. Lawyers routinely use technology, including artificial intelligence, for legal research, e-discovery, document review, practice management, timekeeping and billing, document drafting, and many other tasks. The American Bar Association (ABA) amended the Model Rules of Professional Conduct in 2012 to include an explicit duty of technology competence, and…
Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales publishes results of study into innovation in the legal sector
The Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales (SRA) has published the results of its independent study into innovation in the legal sector, commissioned in March. The study was carried out on behalf of the SRA by a research team at the University of Oxford which included Professors Mari Sako and John Armour. The study…
IBA African Regional Forum releases a new guide on data protection and privacy laws for the legal profession
The International Bar Association (IBA) African Regional Forum has released a new Data Protection/Privacy Guide for Lawyers in Africa, in recognition of growing requirements for safeguarding of personal data in accordance with legal principles across the continent. The guide was developed in the context of the European Union’s data protection law, the General Data Protection…
Law Society of Scotland survey finds support for increased use of remote civil hearings
A newly released survey of Scottish solicitors, by the Law Society of Scotland, has found that more than three-quarters of respondent think that aspects of remote civil court work should continue post-pandemic. The results found that the majority of civil court practitioners have indicated that they think remote hearings work well for procedural and uncontentious…
Nigeria Bar Association launches survey on technology and globalisation
Following the creation of the Future of Legal Practice Committee, by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), which was recently established with a mandate of facilitating significant improvement in the quality and standard of legal services rendered by legal practitioners. The NBA has now launched a survey of all its members collating the views of both…
Lawyer Ethics for Innovation
Abstract Law struggles to keep pace with innovation. Twenty-first century advancements like artificial intelligence, block chain, and data analytics are already in use by academic institutions, corporations, government entities, health care providers, and others but many questions remain about individual autonomy, identity, privacy, and security. Even as new laws address known threats, future technology developments…
Legal Services Board of England and Wales releases new report on how regulation can foster innovation
On the 20th of April, the Legal Services Board (LSB) released a report outlining what legal services can do to support the safe development of technology and innovation, whilst also acting in the public interest. The report outlines steps regulators can take to create an environment that ‘de-risks’ innovation and reduces uncertainty for tech providers…
New research project on innovation and the use of technology in the legal sector in England and Wales launched by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Solicitors Regulation Authority of England and Wales (SRA) is launching a piece of independent research into the use of technology and innovation in the legal sector, and how this may develop in the future. The research is being carried out by a research team at the University of Oxford including Professors Mari Sako and…