With the government’s new industrial strategy placing a strong emphasis on technology, law firms are looking ahead to consider what skills their lawyers will need in the future.
A prominent theme over the years ahead looks set to be the convergence of industries around all things digital, as major developments such as artificial intelligence begin to have a wider impact.
As this happens, the distinction between traditional law firm practice areas is already breaking down. Lawyers can no longer exist in neat silos, as specialisms like commercial contracts, data protection, consumer law, advertising and marketing, e-commerce, media law and IP blur into each other.
In such a fast-changing world, one of the key qualities for lawyers is a willingness to keep learning new things. Another related skill is being able to speak clients’ language – which can only come from thoroughly understanding their businesses.
On the evening of Tuesday 12 December, the head of RPC’s commercial department, Oliver Bray, will join Uber legal director Kandarp Thakar, and Stuart Harris, a newly qualified associate at RPC who is currently on secondment at Google, at Legal Cheek's final Commercial Awareness Question Time of 2017 to discuss the emerging new digital world – and how they see it developing. They will also offer their advice about how students can best prepare themselves as they seek to build legal careers at this interesting time.
After the Q&A session there will be drinks and networking with the speakers and a collection of RPC trainees and members of the firm's graduate recruitment team.
Apply to attend the session – held at RPC’s Tower Bridge headquarters – below. You’ll be asked to submit a CV and two questions for the panel. Please note that the details of those offered places will be shared with RPC’s graduate recruitment team.