5 - LegalTech education in Wales
Together with law firms, start-ups and scale-ups, higher education institutions (HEIs) represent a key component of the Welsh LegalTech ecosystem. Their role was highlighted by the Thomas Commission, which found that: There is a significant role for universities to both train Welsh law students in the use of new technologies for modern legal practice and to assist legal practices to deploy and develop technology […]. It is essential to encourage the dissemination and transfer of the knowledge available in specialist centres such as [Swansea University] across the legal sector in Wales. 335 The report of the Thomas Commission engaged in depth with the role of Welsh universities in supporting legal innovation, observing that, with some limited exception, “there is a comparative lack of engagement in Wales with the opportunity presented by digitalisation and the rise of AI 336 ”. The Commission suggested that courses offered by university should “encompass technological development – digitalisation and artificial intelligence 337 ” and recommended that “Law tech must be taught to all students and the professions across Wales 338 ”. Finally, the Thomas Commission also signalled that “despite the advantages of Wales’ comparatively small size, the lack of collaboration between the law schools, and between the law schools and the legal professions, is a significant impediment” 339 , renewing calls for collaboration and coordination. In this chapter, we discuss the current landscape of LegalTech education in Wales, offering an overview of the different ways in which Welsh universities provide LegalTech training for students and professionals. 5.1 Postgraduate courses in legal technology In 2018, Swansea University was the first HEI in the United Kingdom to offer a LLM programme in LegalTech. 340 Although other universities were already offering LLM degrees featuring modules on information technology law, data protection or e-commerce 341 , the Swansea course was the first programme developed in collaboration between Law and Computer Science, aiming to prepare students for hybrid careers, such as legal technologist, legal operations specialist, and legal engineer. The course included cutting-edge modules in Computational Thinking, Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Blockchain, LegalTech Entrepreneurship, and more. The students also had the possibility of completing a LegalTech 335 The Commission on Justice in Wales (n 1), para 9.79. 336 Ibid, para 10.33. 337 Ibid, para 10.32. 338 Ibid, para 10.35. 339 Ibid, para 10.22. 340 Swansea University, “Swansea University Launches Brand New LLM in LegalTech” (19 June 2018), available at https://www.swansea.ac.uk/law/news/swanseauniversitylaunchesbrandnewllminlegaltech.php. 341 For example, on the University of Edinburgh’s LLM in Innovation, Technology and the Law – see https://www.law.ed.ac.uk/study/masters-degrees/llm-innovation-technology-law.
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