The raft of global law firms setting up bases in Northern Ireland and the growing indigenous sector has prompted one of the key universities to create a new post graduate course to help create a pipeline of legal tech talent.
Ulster University’s Legal Innovation Centre has launched a masters course which straddles both a Masters in Law (LLM) and a Masters of Science (MSc) in an effort to address the growing adoption of technology by law firms around the world.
This course, based at the university’s Belfast Campus, is designed as 50% computer science and 50% corporate, financial and tech law, with the Schools of Law and Computing, Engineering and Intelligent Systems collaborating under one umbrella, for the first time.
It allows for the development of a truly multidisciplinary graduate: a tech-savvy lawyer or a computer science graduate who has a unique appreciation of legal and financial services.
The course has been designed in collaboration with industry, including a number of significant inward investors to Northern Ireland including: Citi, Allen & Overy, Baker McKenzie, Herbert Smith Freehills, A&L Goodbody, Pinsent Masons, Factor Law, Allstate, iManage RAVN, Thomson Reuters, HNH, Davidson McDonnell, Grant Thornton, KPMG, Deloitte, EY and PWC.
“The delivery of legal services is evolving quickly, and depends increasingly on the overlapping disciplines of data science,” Stephen Bartlett, EMEA Regional General Counsel & Global Co-Head Markets and Securities Services Legal, Citi, said. “Ulster University’s new ‘Corporate Law, Computing and Innovation’ course is an exciting opportunity to acquire the practical knowledge and skills that are much in demand, as legal practices of all types equip themselves with the resources they need to support markets, commerce and society in the new data-centric era.”
Modules include corporate law, derivatives and financial markets, technology and internet law, professional software development, data science and business intelligence.
The Legal Innovation Centre is currently working with A&L Goodbody's litigation team, Grant Thornton's e-Discovery team, members of the bar counsel, judiciary and international online litigation experts to develop a new cutting-edge 'Innovation in Commercial Litigation Module', reflecting the rapid pace of developments in machine learning technology tools and online litigation.
The courses are Full time or part time, they can also choose to exit the course with an MSc, LLM, Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate or some of those already in a profession may choose to join to upskill in a specific module.
“Unquestionably the application of AI-based disruptive technology is transforming legal services delivery,” Jane Hollway, Director of the Ulster University Legal Innovation Centre, said. “Lawyers are operating in this dramatically changed landscape and with that comes the demand for the multidisciplinary lawyer.
“Firms are seeking lawyers and professionals with computing skills or computing technologists with corporate skills - the 'unicorn' graduate. Aligned with this, tech graduates with an understanding of corporate and financial landscape are highly sought after. The input of our international leaders in industry makes the course highly practical and our graduates, highly employable and future-proofed in terms of their skillset.”
