Amicus Agony
Dear Amicus Agony,
I am an associate in a law firm and thinking about making the switch in-house. Is there a “way back” to practice if I feel more suitable for practice thereafter?
Confused Lawyer
Dear Confused Lawyer,
Good news is, these days skill sets are more transferable than what was rumoured to be in the past, where lawyers who have gone in-house find it hard to get back into practice. However, ask yourself this – what is your motivation for going in-house? If it is for work-life balance or a non-fully legal scope, these days a lot of firms are considering non fee earning work in the form of knowledge lawyers, business development lawyers, and of course legal tech lawyers – do speak with the partners and see if that is a viable path for you to try your hands at something else, and you never know you might just find your niche. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Amicus Agony
Dear Amicus Agony,
I read that legal tech and bots will take over my job as a lawyer. How do I go about embracing this brave new world?
Terrified (human) Lawyer
Dear Terrified (human) Lawyer,
The fact you are terrified (and human) is a good first sign in recognising the new paradigm. But fret not – the whole point (at least till now) of legal tech is to free up lawyers for the higher value bespoke work, whilst eliminating careless errors, data entry repetitive work etc. So, as the technology stands now, legal tech is meant to assist lawyers to be more efficient for value adding work than replacing lawyers. There are numerous articles on these which you can read online more deeply. Also, there are courses run by various professional bodies and talks to not just allay precisely such fears as yours, but also to dispel some myths and encourage a positive embracing of the new (legal) world order. Do look out for them and attend.
Sincerely,
Amicus Agony
