iStockThe widespread adoption of technology has led to the transformation of every other industry, and legal space is no different. Hence, the birth of what we can say as ‘legaltech’. In the legal industry, advanced technology can serve many purposes, ranging from error-free storage and review of piles of documents for scanning potential conflicts to accessing data for research purposes, billing, and other areas.
As a result, legaltech has become a separate space within the legal industry that is brimming with job opportunities around roles of tech innovators, product managers, consultants, and others who can work around such tools.
“Before the public debut of ChatGPT, the legal tech industry was seen as a poorer cousin of the fintech industry. AI has reshuffled that hierarchy considerably. We have seen legal-tech start-ups with AI offerings get acquired by traditional legal publishing houses for millions of dollars. It is easier for a good lawyer to pick up general skills like templatisation and prompt engineering than the other way around”, says Hemant Krishna, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.
However, it’s imperative for those planning to enter this field of work to first know the in-demand skills, roles, pay structure, and more in order to make a well-informed decision and push their career in the right direction.
In-demand roles in legaltech and relevant courses to pursue
Anushita S P Karunakaram, Co-Founder & CEO, Lawyer Desk, a legaltech startup, highlights a few courses that are currently experiencing a surge in demand and also recommends a few relevant courses that freshers can pursue to excel in such roles.
For those interested in analysing legal data, identifying key trends, and providing insights to support decision-making, legal data analyst is a suitable role. To take up this role, she suggests pursuing courses such as Data Analytics for Legal Professionals, introduction to Data Science, available on Coursera and edX) and Legal Analytics course available on Udemy.
Another role in demand is Legal Operations Manager. The necessary skills and knowledge for this role can be gained through a Legal Operations Certificate from CLOC Institute, a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification, and a Lean Six Sigma for Law Firms Certification course. Similarly, to become an E-discovery specialist who manages the identification, collection, and production of electronically stored information for legal cases, she lists a course in E-Discovery Specialization available from the University of California, Irvine on Coursera and Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) Certification course.
To become a legal technology consultant, individuals can pursue a Legal Technology & Innovation Certificate from Suffolk University Law School, Technology in Law Practice from Coursera, and a Certified Legal Tech Professional course. Whereas, for the role of compliance and Risk management specialist, her suggestion is a course in Compliance and Risk Management in the Legal Profession from edX, a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) course, and a Risk Management for Legal Professionals course from Udemy.
Lastly, another role registering a significant demand is AI and Machine learning specialist, and courses to be pursued include AI for Legal Professionals from Harvard Online, Machine Learning Course by Stanford University on Coursera, Foundational course in machine learning applicable across industries, and Artificial Intelligence and Law from edX.
Skill individuals must acquire
Elaborating on the skill requirement, Anushita emphasises establishing a perfect blend of tech and non-tech skills to thrive in the legaltech industry. To ace the technical side of the in-demand roles, she says it’s important to acquire skills in data analysis and visualisation, programming, and scripting along with an understanding of AI and Machine Learning, familiarity with e-discovery tools, and knowledge of cybersecurity principles.
On the other hand, project management, legal research and writing, critical thinking and problem-solving, communication and collaboration, and adaptability are some of the non-technical skills that employers highly value, according to her.
Campus hiring trends and pay expectations
In campus hirings for the legal tech space also, the key question is whether the candidate possesses a solid enough foundation in law for layering legaltech skills on top, says Hemant.
The industry is rapidly evolving, and fresh graduates are becoming more crucial in filling the demand for tech-savvy professionals, says Anushita.
She further lists several trends like virtual career fairs, integrating diversity and inclusion in campus hiring strategies, increasing internship programs, hybrid and remote onboarding to attract global talent and meet the demands of modern graduates, and relying on AI and data analytics to streamline campus hirings, that indicate a heightened emphasis on-campus recruitment strategies.
Giving us a glimpse of the pay expectations for entry-level roles, she says legal data analyst can make an average salary of ₹4 - ₹6 lakhs per annum or $60,000 - $70,000 annually; Legal Operations Manager can earn an average salary of 6 - ₹8 lakhs per annum or $65,000 - $75,000 annually; E-Discovery Specialist can expect ₹5 - ₹7 lakhs per annum or $70,000 - $80,000 annually; Legal Technology Consultant can make ₹6 - ₹9 lakhs per annum or $75,000 - $85,000 annually; Compliance and Risk Management Specialist can get ₹5 - ₹7 lakhs per annum or $68,000 - $78,000 annually; and AI and Machine Learning Specialist in Legal can get ₹8 - ₹10 lakhs per annum or $80,000 - $95,000 annually. However, these numbers may vary depending on the employer, location, and specific industry needs, she adds.
Status of flexi-staffing in legaltech landscape
The trend of freelancing has seeped into every other sector, and legaltech is witnessing the same, confirms Anushita. To give us more clarity around the same, she highlights various factors that are responsible for driving demand for freelancers in the legal industry.
The flexibility to hire specialised talent on a project basis to address specific needs without the long-term commitment of full-time employees, the gradual shift towards remote work, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic which has made it easier for legal professionals to offer their services as freelancers, and the legal processes becoming more complex and data-driven, are some of such factors that have led to an increase in demand for specialized freelance roles, she concludes.
As a result, legaltech has become a separate space within the legal industry that is brimming with job opportunities around roles of tech innovators, product managers, consultants, and others who can work around such tools.
“Before the public debut of ChatGPT, the legal tech industry was seen as a poorer cousin of the fintech industry. AI has reshuffled that hierarchy considerably. We have seen legal-tech start-ups with AI offerings get acquired by traditional legal publishing houses for millions of dollars. It is easier for a good lawyer to pick up general skills like templatisation and prompt engineering than the other way around”, says Hemant Krishna, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.
However, it’s imperative for those planning to enter this field of work to first know the in-demand skills, roles, pay structure, and more in order to make a well-informed decision and push their career in the right direction.
In-demand roles in legaltech and relevant courses to pursue
Anushita S P Karunakaram, Co-Founder & CEO, Lawyer Desk, a legaltech startup, highlights a few courses that are currently experiencing a surge in demand and also recommends a few relevant courses that freshers can pursue to excel in such roles.
For those interested in analysing legal data, identifying key trends, and providing insights to support decision-making, legal data analyst is a suitable role. To take up this role, she suggests pursuing courses such as Data Analytics for Legal Professionals, introduction to Data Science, available on Coursera and edX) and Legal Analytics course available on Udemy.
Another role in demand is Legal Operations Manager. The necessary skills and knowledge for this role can be gained through a Legal Operations Certificate from CLOC Institute, a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification, and a Lean Six Sigma for Law Firms Certification course. Similarly, to become an E-discovery specialist who manages the identification, collection, and production of electronically stored information for legal cases, she lists a course in E-Discovery Specialization available from the University of California, Irvine on Coursera and Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) Certification course.
To become a legal technology consultant, individuals can pursue a Legal Technology & Innovation Certificate from Suffolk University Law School, Technology in Law Practice from Coursera, and a Certified Legal Tech Professional course. Whereas, for the role of compliance and Risk management specialist, her suggestion is a course in Compliance and Risk Management in the Legal Profession from edX, a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) course, and a Risk Management for Legal Professionals course from Udemy.
Lastly, another role registering a significant demand is AI and Machine learning specialist, and courses to be pursued include AI for Legal Professionals from Harvard Online, Machine Learning Course by Stanford University on Coursera, Foundational course in machine learning applicable across industries, and Artificial Intelligence and Law from edX.
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Skill individuals must acquire
Elaborating on the skill requirement, Anushita emphasises establishing a perfect blend of tech and non-tech skills to thrive in the legaltech industry. To ace the technical side of the in-demand roles, she says it’s important to acquire skills in data analysis and visualisation, programming, and scripting along with an understanding of AI and Machine Learning, familiarity with e-discovery tools, and knowledge of cybersecurity principles.
On the other hand, project management, legal research and writing, critical thinking and problem-solving, communication and collaboration, and adaptability are some of the non-technical skills that employers highly value, according to her.
Campus hiring trends and pay expectations
In campus hirings for the legal tech space also, the key question is whether the candidate possesses a solid enough foundation in law for layering legaltech skills on top, says Hemant.
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The industry is rapidly evolving, and fresh graduates are becoming more crucial in filling the demand for tech-savvy professionals, says Anushita.
She further lists several trends like virtual career fairs, integrating diversity and inclusion in campus hiring strategies, increasing internship programs, hybrid and remote onboarding to attract global talent and meet the demands of modern graduates, and relying on AI and data analytics to streamline campus hirings, that indicate a heightened emphasis on-campus recruitment strategies.
Giving us a glimpse of the pay expectations for entry-level roles, she says legal data analyst can make an average salary of ₹4 - ₹6 lakhs per annum or $60,000 - $70,000 annually; Legal Operations Manager can earn an average salary of 6 - ₹8 lakhs per annum or $65,000 - $75,000 annually; E-Discovery Specialist can expect ₹5 - ₹7 lakhs per annum or $70,000 - $80,000 annually; Legal Technology Consultant can make ₹6 - ₹9 lakhs per annum or $75,000 - $85,000 annually; Compliance and Risk Management Specialist can get ₹5 - ₹7 lakhs per annum or $68,000 - $78,000 annually; and AI and Machine Learning Specialist in Legal can get ₹8 - ₹10 lakhs per annum or $80,000 - $95,000 annually. However, these numbers may vary depending on the employer, location, and specific industry needs, she adds.
Status of flexi-staffing in legaltech landscape
The trend of freelancing has seeped into every other sector, and legaltech is witnessing the same, confirms Anushita. To give us more clarity around the same, she highlights various factors that are responsible for driving demand for freelancers in the legal industry.
The flexibility to hire specialised talent on a project basis to address specific needs without the long-term commitment of full-time employees, the gradual shift towards remote work, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic which has made it easier for legal professionals to offer their services as freelancers, and the legal processes becoming more complex and data-driven, are some of such factors that have led to an increase in demand for specialized freelance roles, she concludes.
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