Reading time: two minutes

For a while now, I’ve been meaning to put pen to paper to describe why I have an interest in IT, data law and the use of legal technologies.

It all began in my paralegal days when I was tasked to create an online data room for a client. The data room site could be accessed by the client where they could view legal documents and the answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) produced by the solicitor. This cut  the time they spent responding to emails from the client on common FAQs, and was a great way for the client to feel involved and to easily track the progress of the transaction. It was the first time I saw how technology could enhance the practice of law.

My interest was then furthered in my last job as a legal IT training consultant. I delivered training sessions on case management, time recording and billing software to lawyers at various firms. This was an incredibly insightful job, not only because it furthered my knowledge of different legal technologies, but it also taught me how law firms vary software to support their own practice needs.   

Most importantly, I’m an avid user of technology and use different technologies as adjustments in my role and life to support my disability. For example, on a daily basis, I use voice recognition, screen tints and screen reading software. This has led me to have a natural interest in digital accessibility.

For some time, I’ve wanted to develop my interest in technology based on my combined experiences so far. I found it quite daunting initially and didn’t know where to start with questions, such as ‘What is big data?’ to ‘What does an IT lawyer do?’ and even ‘What is the Metaverse?’. Then I realised that my LCN blogs are a perfect place to explore my interest and take notes along the way!

Want to learn more about legal technology? Check out this LCN Says on ‘Legal technology: how any lawyer can supercharge their practice’.

So now each month, I’ll be delving further into one of the below topics:

• What do IT and data lawyers do?
• digital accessibility
• Any legal developments in IT and data law
• Use of technologies to provide legal solutions

I’m aware that legal tech is a hot topic right now for students, and so I hope that by bringing you on this journey, it’ll help some of you who also might be in the same position.