Legal tech – a future prospect for start-ups and training?
Legal tech has become indispensable in today's world. It doesn't matter whether we're talking about digitalised files, court hearings via video or AI systems that provide legal support. But what is the situation in training or in business practice? What programmes are available and how are they being promoted?
A guest article by recode.law
Legal tech has become indispensable in today’s world. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about digitalised files, court hearings via video or AI systems that provide legal support. But what is the situation in training or in business practice? What programmes are available and how are they being promoted?
Legal tech is just getting started for German legal education
While legal tech is already consolidating its place in the legal market, legal tech is only in the starting blocks of German legal education. The basic law degree programme in Germany does not introduce prospective lawyers to this area, which is why they have to fall back on a few additional courses. However, apart from traditional law studies, there are hardly any German universities that offer their own bachelor’s degree in legal tech, which could provide specialised knowledge in this new field. The University of Passau is a pioneer here with its Bachelor Legal Tech programme, which was founded in 2020 and can be completed there with the title Bachelor of Laws, LL.B. For all those who have already completed their first state examination, there are Master’s programmes in Germany in Regensburg, Passau and Würzburg, among others, but otherwise mainly abroad.
However, this does not mean that legal tech is being forgotten – quite the opposite! Universities across Germany are gradually increasing their legal tech and IT law programmes. Even if it is not yet a compulsory part of the intermediate law examination, there are numerous universities that offer specialisations, certificates or elective modules that deal with this subject matter.
It will get more and more important to train and educate the next generation of lawyers in tech
These are all important steps in the right direction, but we should not rest on our laurels! With the constant digitalisation of our environment, the need for lawyers who are familiar with digital and IT matters is increasing. It is therefore all the more important right now to train and educate the next generation of lawyers in tech.
Various instruments can be used to promote legal tech talent. On the one hand, targeted training and further education could be offered in this area. This could take the form of workshops, webinars or online courses that not only impart theoretical knowledge, but also focus on practical applications and tools in the field of legal tech. Another strategically important step is to promote legal tech in a more interdisciplinary way. This is because legal tech in its essence is not a purely legal topic and involves areas such as computer science and legal design in particular. Therefore, computer scientists, economists and legal designers should be brought on board in order to incorporate perspectives from other fields into the development of new technologies.
recode.law is your platform for familiarise with legal tech
The following applies: legal tech has become an integral part of everyday legal life and has future prospects! That is why we at recode.law offer a platform to familiarise interested prospective and practising lawyers, economists, computer scientists and legal designers with this exciting new area of law. In the long term, however, legal tech is no longer a specialisation, but should be part of the skillset of future lawyers. This should be reflected both in legal training and in the funding prospects for new technologies and systems.
Written by Marie Landwehr and Elisabeth Maier (recode.law)
Image: AI-generated
