Career Opportunities in Law Technology
As we continue to see digital transformation take hold across the legal sector, the demand for and investment in tech roles has been steadily rising. Although a mixture of external pressure – from those including clients, regulators and investors – and internal motivation catalyse this sector to evolve, the impact is clear, and the trend is not slowing down. The rise in demand for tech talent is perhaps surprising given the traditional approach to technology in law. However, an evolution has taken place with digital transformation at the forefront , and key decision-makers now acknowledge its importance. This is considerably better than the past, when the adoption of technology was heavily left to the discretion of the individual. In addition, this drive for change also correlates with a growing need to comply with legal and ethical standards. While the law has been slow in adopting new changes, the acceleration we are now seeing is a step in the right direction. Forward-thinking firms and departments are now recognising that hiring the right individuals is critical to their success.
Skills Required in Legal Technology
While each law technology job will have different core competencies, depending on the specific job requirements, there are a few areas of expertise and accreditation that are essential across the board in order to have a competitive advantage.
These include:
• Proficiency in relevant sectors of business IT. You should have experience with cloud systems, professional applications and security technologies, just to name a few.
• Experience with project management software. Simply being familiar with the tools is not enough – to stand out from other prospective candidates you must be able to demonstrate how you have used these software systems to help improve the efficiency and productivity of operations in your previous positions.
• Mathematics. Some law practices may require proficiency in advanced mathematics, like those found in the world of quantitative finance, so you’ll need a strong appreciation for complex equations and the ability to accurately interpret data representing these calculations.
• The law. You’ll need to have a working knowledge of the law and a good deal of experience working within the legal field (like law school) in order to stay ahead of the curve and be considered a strong candidate. Having a legal degree and/or a specialty designation is an absolute must for this field, especially in larger law firms that are looking for qualified applicants.
• Experience with technology policy. Those in legal information technology will need to be well-versed in the latest policies, especially when it comes to ensuring they are compliant with security regulations.
• Industry awareness. In order to be successful, you must always be aware of what other law firms in your area, as well as other global organizations, are doing relative to your law practice. You should use this awareness to your advantage by exploring ways to implement similar or improved technologies and practices within your own firm. Some systems or infrastructure are widely understood and accepted outside the legal sphere but have yet to make their way into the mainstream in the legal field. Knowledge of the industry at large will help to give you and your firm a leg up on the competition.
Prominent Legal-Tech Career Paths
Law technology jobs come in many different forms. Legal technologist is a role that has emerged in recent years. This person partners closely with enterprise organizations, law firms and legal departments to help them leverage technology effectively. This includes helping them understand how technology impacts operations, improve technology utilization, implement and rollout new solutions, train and assist staff on technology. Another role that has gained traction is legal engineer. Legal Engineers provide technology solutions to law firms and corporate law departments. Legal Engineers are experts on technology and helping legal professionals maximize the use of available tools. Another well-known position is the e-discovery specialist. E-discovery specialists assist attorneys with managing the discovery process for litigation. This is a vital role in order to comply with regulations, out-pace the competition and meet demanding deadlines. Currently, this is one of the most prominent positions within legal technology. There are many others including legal project manager, document automation specialist, data governance expert and consultant, cloud storage associate, technology-savvy paralegal and supervised corporate attorney, research analyst and legal technologist.
Guide to Law-Tech Industry Employment
At the intersection of law, technology, and process, legal technologists are on the rise. But even with legal tech jobs in high demand, breaking into this field still poses a challenge for many. In order to help you maximize your chance at landing a job in legal tech, we’ve put together a list of ways to break into the legal tech field.
Invest in Advancing Your Skills It may be the case that you have little or no experience in legal technology yet. However, if you already possess a skill set that focuses on the use of technology in the law, then you are on the right track toward securing a legal tech position. Areas of expertise that lend themselves to a legal tech job include: software engineering; user experience design; information systems; analytics; and project management. If none of these areas makes much sense to you, you’re not alone. But with legal tech jobs being in such high demand, pursuing further education in these areas is a smart way to advance your chances in the legal tech sphere. The trend toward hiring "legal technologists" has existed for several years now, and there are clear signs that it’s still on the rise. A big factor driving the need for legal technology is the adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning programs currently being developed for the field. These programs will help legal professionals automate routine tasks and save time and money , both for their own practices and for clients. As a legal technologist, you’ll be responsible for helping legal professionals transition to these new technologies and best practices. Legal technologists act as a liaison between legal professionals and the IT team that’s often based in law firms. You may be asked to survey and assess current technology resources, develop new processes for implementing new legal tech programs, and create training materials to market those programs to new users. These programs can help streamline workflows, increase accuracy and security, and save time and money across the board.
Connect Network with industry contacts online and offline. Sometimes, it’s more about who you know than what you know when it comes to landing a legal tech job. We already mentioned the need for individuals with expertise in "legal tech" fields such as project management, software engineering, UI/UX design, analytics, and information systems. But experience in any of those fields would not make you a legal technologist—a legal tech position requires a working knowledge of information technology as it relates to the field of law. Furthermore, you should also be able to develop and reuse existing automation processes, and educate your fellow team members on how the automated solutions work.
Expected Salary in Legal Technology
Law technology jobs, like their more traditional counterparts, will generally pay more as candidates accumulate relevant experience. Other factors, such as the applicant’s geographic location and the size and reputation of the hiring firm, will play a role in salary decisions as well.
While titled "Director of Knowledge Management" or "Chief Technology Officer," law firm management positions command some of the highest salaries in the industry, typically ranging from about $160,000 to more than $250,000 annually. Even entry-level applicants in law technology jobs may be able to start out earning $70,000 per year (or more) where salaries for first-year law school graduates hover around $150,000. Particularly for those candidates willing or able to assume a business development role, firms may offer even more compensation to work in this high-demand field—provided they possess the requisite technical and soft skills. While e-discovery specialists start out on the lower end of the law technology spectrum, salaries of up to $75,000—and higher, depending on the candidate’s geographic location—are available for experienced candidates. Those who can program and handle technical support also remain in high demand. Chief Compliance Officers will typically earn more than their information professionals counterparts, but those unfamiliar with the corporate development aspect of the field may have to start out at lesser salaries to learn more about the "business side" of law technology. Most project managers will earn salaries from about $95,000 to $125,000 per year, but those in management positions will usually see a boost to their salaries where they must manage specialized technical teams in addition to providing regular project management duties.
Future Developments in Law Technology
While it’s not possible to predict the future with certainty, there are no shortage of individuals willing to make educated guesses when it comes to future trends in the intersection of law and technology. Based on where the cutting edge is today, some of the areas experts are focused on include AI, blockchain, and data analytics. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the big news stories right now in the law tech community and shows no signs of slowing down. Most people are likely familiar with Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa, but those are just a few of the many examples of how AI is already entrenched in our lives and how it will continue to play an increasing role in our future. For law tech professionals and those entering the industry, this is an exciting area. In terms of how AI is already helping attorneys, for example, the technology is being used to provide search results that are relevant to your intended meaning rather than keyword searches. In addition, it’s being enhanced by deep learning, which means that the software will improve its accuracy through more uses. Blockchain technology is another area that’s expected to grow. Blockchain is an online distributed ledger that lets users track digital assets. The advantage of blockchain is that it’s secure and decentralized, which means that there are no middlemen or central authorities that can be hacked. For a variety of reasons , including the fact that blockchain can handle large volumes of transactions with significant privacy, any law firms that deal with trade will want to make Blockchain a part of their future. It’ll likely lead to a high demand for law tech professionals in this growing field. There’s no question that data analytics is also playing an increasingly important role in the legal profession and law tech jobs. In order to take full advantage of analytics, law firms must be armed with relevant data. This is where soft technology plays its role. By soft technology, I’m referring to apps, software, and other tools that can help firms track and analyze data on their own, rather than relying on something like AI. By using these types of technology, firm leaders can get a better read on the key data points their firm needs, such as diversity amongst their employees and sexual harassment complaints, as well as how their firm is viewed by potential employees. On a recruitment level, this also helps them understand what they can provide to attract candidates. In general, soft technology can be used to gain valuable information about how a firm can thrive, both now and in the future. The future of law technology jobs is exciting, especially when you consider the possibilities offered by AI, blockchain, and data analytics. These trends will only continue to grow, making it an interesting time to be involved in law technology.