Professor Michael Adams, from the Western Sydney University presented on implementing technology into the legal curriculum. The presentation took place at the UNE School of Law on the 14 September 2018. Professor Adams is an expert in corporate law, corporate governance, securities markets regulation (market manipulation and insider trading), and legal education. He has been researching, writing and teaching on these topics for over twenty five years.
The underlying pedagogy of legal courses has been very consistent over the centuries regardless of technological changes. Nonetheless, recent changes has allowed the flexible delivery of courses. For example, online learning management systems has enabled the UNE School of Law to deliver online courses. However, legal pedagogy is in line for a tremendous shakeup with the oncoming cyclone that is the fourth industrial revolution – leading to technology that blurs the distinction between the physical, biological, and digital. Fundamental changes are predicted in how we communicate, study, relate to each other and work.
Left to right: Professor Michael Adams, Professor Lillian Corbin, and Dr Kip Werren
Technology is being incorporated into many law courses to expose students to the tools that practising legal professionals are using. Technology is changing the way legal professionals locate the law, implement legal procedures, solve problems, and interact with clients. There is already artificial intelligence that can read and analyse legal documents. Some firms are now teaching their lawyers to code computer programs as it is the ‘new literacy’ of the digital world.
A law degree allows graduates to launch into a whole range of careers as they can call upon the skills of problem solving, critical thinking, communication, and team work. The majority of law graduates have a second degree in another discipline. This allows graduates to summon up a range of skills and knowledge. It is likely in the near future that courses will be designed to provide students with the skills not only to be a good legal professional but also to design, innovate, and use technology to solve societal problems.
Written by Kip Werren
‘I just can’t wait for a new tech – techno –technological dawn’: Time Bandits (Directed by Terry Gilliam, Umbrella Entertainment Pty Ltd, 1981).
