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The Rise of Tech-Focused Roles in the Legal Industry


In virtually every large-scale industry on the planet, tech is bringing innovation, change, and evolution. When it comes to the legal realm, the case is no different, and technology is making a number of interesting changes to the field.

One key way in which tech is altering the legal sphere is by creating new jobs that blend both tech and law in exciting ways. Those interested in law, tech, or the confluence of these fields can benefit from understanding this new influx of roles in these spaces.

Here’s the rise of tech-focused roles in the legal industry.

Tech Is Streamlining Legal Processes

As one can probably imagine, the legal field is filled with mundane processes involving sorting through paperwork, scouring historical cases, and triple-checking work. Fortunately, tech is offering itself as a solution to this problem in a variety of effective ways.

From software that performs the work of legal aids to courses that help students study for the LSAT, there’s no shortage of technologically-powered tools now entering this space. As a result, new roles that revolve around the creation, maintenance, and use of these tools are emerging at a rapid pace.

New Roles That Blend Tech and Law

Whether one is deciding what career to pursue, looking for a job change, or just interested in tech, it can be incredibly useful to be aware of emerging roles that rely equally on technology and legal processes.

Here are new roles that blend tech and law.

Legal Engineers

As has been noted, tech is playing an increasingly integral role in legal processes in virtually all major law firms. However, not all legal professionals are tech aficionados equipped with the skills to take advantage of technological solutions.

Fortunately, a new role has arisen to solve this problem. These professionals are called legal engineers and they specialize in helping legal professionals find solutions to their problems with technological solutions.

The duties of legal engineers can include crafting new software to meet a certain case’s needs and determining what type of data analysis would be most helpful for a lawyer. Ultimately, these professionals will likely proliferate in the coming decade and become a staple in all legal firms.

Predictive Data Analysts Specializing In Legal Cases

Anyone familiar with legal cases knows that sometimes cases can be overwhelming and extremely complicated. Whether it’s a case about racial disparities or worker’s compensation, complicated cases sometimes require the work of countless lawyers spending countless hours seeking out solutions.

While lawyers still play a vital role in legal cases, other types of professionals can now play an integral part in helping lawyers perform their roles effectively. One key type of new professional engaging in this type of work is that of predictive data analysts specializing in legal cases.

Put simply, the process of conducting predictive analytics involves using large sets of data to predict the probability of different outcomes. Though on the surface this may not seem like it relates to the work lawyers do, it can actually be a huge help.

By having the power to utilize data in effective ways, lawyers can strengthen their arguments and bolster their chances of winning court cases. As such, predictive analysts who specialize in law are steadily becoming more sought after in this space.

Privacy Managers

Over the last decade, governments across the world have had to develop their own rules, guidelines, and laws dictating how businesses and organizations can use technology to interact with the public. One key change in Europe was the European Union’s Data Protection Regulation.

To stay within legal limits, companies — many of them tech companies — need professionals with the right expertise to help them navigate this change. In other words, privacy managers, who are qualified legal professionals with the skills to navigate regulations, are now in high demand by tech companies.

In this way, the intersection of law and tech has created a slew of new job roles across the world for professionals with an understanding of both legal regulations and tech.

Tech and Law Are Intersecting In Exciting Ways

Though both the tech and legal spaces are evolving in their own respective ways in the modern age, their intersection is also creating some exciting new job roles. From legal engineers to predictive analysts who specialize in law, there are many new roles arising to meet the needs of the changing legal landscape. As time goes on and new legal tech emerges, it’s more than likely that there will be many new tech-focused roles in the legal industry that arise.