Universities also provide additional engines of circularity, in addition to those already outlined above: • research centres in innovation and LegalTech need input from law firms to identify relevant issues and translate academic research into outputs (such as apps or prototypes) that law firms can test and utilise; • courses and modules in legal technology can benefit from the involvement of start-ups and scale- ups to focus on entrepreneurship skills, and of law firms to focus on use cases, approaches and research projects (e.g. for student dissertations) that can better equip future recruits to deliver innovation in Welsh law firms and start-ups in the future; • given the interdisciplinary nature of LegalTech research, academic researchers may need access to expertise available in other Welsh HEIs, which in turn may require the expertise of such researchers to unlock their own; • students may benefit from access to expertise, research centres and educational offerings in other Welsh universities, while contributing knowledge acquired or developed in their home institution; • universities may need to partner up with law firms or start-ups to access funding calls (e.g. Innovate UK, EIT, and others), while their inclusion in the consortium may increase the chances for the other partners to succeed in securing the funding. A circular approach to legal innovation in Wales is thus characterised by three main pillars: 1) expertise , 2) knowledge , and 3) market . Pillar 1: Expertise This pillar requires collaboration between all the components of the Welsh legal services sector to train future professionals with a wide range of LegalTech competences: • Universities need to (i) involve law firms and start-ups in the design of curricula for modules and courses, (ii) offer opportunities for guest lecturing and joint organisation of lectures and workshops, (iii) design innovative teaching and assessment methods that demonstrate the skills acquired by the students and their capacity to innovate, (iv) embed opportunities for industry placements and other collaborations with industry as key curricular activities. • Law firms and start-ups need to (v) volunteer for, and support, the activities just described, (vi) provide internships, placements or other opportunities (shadowing, workshops, etc.) for students, (vii) develop employment strategies that support these commitments, in particular investing in hybrid legal professional figures, (viii) offer fair employment conditions that match industry standards and recognise the unique skillset developed by Welsh LegalTech graduates. • Overall , there should be (ix) a coordinated effort to build networks and relationships that support the training of highly qualified professionals and their employment in Wales.
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