Dr David Cowan, Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology, is to facilitate a panel on Alternative Careers & LawTech, one of four panels in the Society of Computers and Law Legal Tech Online Conference, which features a keynote by Mr Justice Frank Clarke, former Chief Justice of Ireland. The event takes place on Thursday 13 January 2022 and is sponsored by Matheson.
This event, co-organised by Dr Rónán Kennedy of the School of Law, NUI Galway and Nap Keeling of Ken Kennedy Solicitors, will bring together key innovators to share knowledge, experience, and new ideas. It is aimed at practitioners, ICT specialists, and students. The event has been convened because there is an urgent need to explore what technological change means for Irish legal practice, legal education, and career opportunities.
There is clearly change afoot in the Irish legal services market, with courts authorising the use of e-discovery, experimenting with document display technology, and developing new user-friendly websites. Some practitioners are enthusiastically adopting or inventing new tools. Software start-ups are targeting lawyers as a distinct market segment. Adopting “lawtech” is becoming a competitive advantage and a mark of best practice. The hype in the headlines around machine learning and so-called “artificial intelligence” is well-known: robots will replace lawyers (and even judges), everything will be bought and sold on the blockchain, and the traditional legal career is dead.
This event will seek to explore the realities of what is happening in the Irish legal service market, whether those predictions are likely to come true, and how Ireland might differ from other jurisdictions. It will cut through the hype and ask critical questions about whether the technology can and does deliver, what difference it is making in practice, and how it could be applied for better outcomes for all.
Moderated discussion will follow the opening address by Andreas Carney, Pinsent Masons and the keynote by Mr Justice Frank Clarke, former Chief Justice of Ireland. The four panels are:
Panel 1 - The Courts & LawTech, facilitated by Nap Keeling, Ken Kennedy Solicitors
- Karyn Harty, McCann Fitzgerald
- The Hon Mr Justice Garrett Simons, High Court of Ireland
- Owen Harrison, Courts Service
Panel 2 - Legal Transactions & LawTech, facilitated by Dr Rónán Kennedy, NUI Galway
- Gerard Brady, Irish Water
- Tara Doyle, Matheson
- Lory Kehoe, BNY Mellon
Panel 3 - Access to Justice & LawTech, facilitated by Alison Hough BL, Athlone IT
- Mark Edwards, Rocket Lawyer
- Gavin Sheridan, Vizlegal
- Mark Tottenham BL, DECISIS
Panel 4 - Alternative Careers & LawTech, facilitated by Dr David Cowan, Maynooth University
- Sinead Garnett, Johnson Hana
- Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Tech Law
- Alex Kelly, Brightflag
Conference details are available here.