NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2012
CONTACT: Kent Love, 517-432-6959, kent.love@law.msu.edu
MSU Law Co-Hosts LawTechCamp London Conference on Technology in the Legal Profession
East Lansing, MI — Michigan State University College of Law welcomed legal professionals, students, entrepreneurs, scholars, and technology experts from around the globe to London, England, on Friday, June 29, to examine the future of technology in legal practice. MSU Law co-organized the LawTechCamp conference with the University of Westminster School of Law and The College of Law—two of England’s key providers of legal education.
Building off the strength of LawTechCamp Toronto, LawTechCamp London was the first such event held outside of North America. The conference addressed a range of topics, including new markets for legal services, new roles for technology, advances online and in the cloud, new media and new spaces, law and technology meets big data, and the challenges for innovation in law and technology.
“Given the recent innovations in the law market following the passage of the Legal Services Act—which created an entirely new regulatory scheme for the practice of law and delivery of legal services in the U.K.—it made sense to bring this highly successful event to London,” said MSU Law Professors Renee Newman Knake and Daniel Martin Katz. “Attendees benefited from hearing chief executives from many leading legal startups and informatics companies, as well as leaders from large and small firms and new alternative legal service delivery firms.”
Knake added, “The event was the capstone to our 21st Century Law Practice Summer Program in London, a cutting-edge program co-sponsored by MSU Law and Westminster Law that provides students with sophisticated training in law and technology.”
Andy Boon, dean of the University of Westminster School of Law said, “The University of Westminster and the School of Law are delighted to host colleagues and students from MSU for the LawTechCamp—the culmination of their summer program at the university. Our MSU Law colleagues, Dan Katz and Renee Knake, have lots of ideas and energy and they worked hard with our faculty members to develop a fascinating program. We learned much about the future delivery of legal services.”
Conference participants examined technology, law, and innovation in the wake of U.K. deregulation. Speakers included Professor Richard Susskind, independent adviser to major professional firms and national governments; Chris Kenny, chief executive officer of the Legal Services Board; Kevin Doolan, a partner at Eversheds; Ajaz Ahmed, the founder of Legal365; and Geoff Wild, director of governance and law at Kent County Council. John Sheridan, head of legislative services at the U.K. National Archives made make a special announcement at the event regarding a new tool for legislative tracking.
The University of Westminster boasts a vibrant learning environment attracting more than 20,000 students from more than 150 nations and continues to invest in the future with new developments, research projects, and new ideas. Westminster offers highly attractive practice-based courses that are independently rated as excellent, many with international recognition. A university with a distinguished 170-year history, Westminster leads the way in many areas of research—particularly politics, media, art and design, architecture, and biomedical sciences. Its position in the city of London allows the university to continue to build on close connections with leading figures and organizations in these areas, as well as in the worlds of business, information technology, politics, and law.
The College of Law is the leading provider of professional legal education and training in Europe, with centers throughout England. The College is widely regarded as experts in legal training. All of its tutors and course designers are qualified solicitors or barristers and have practice experience. The College works closely with law firms and chambers of all sizes and exclusively delivers the Legal Practice Course (LPC) to trainees at many of the leading global law firms.
Michigan State University College of Law, a leading institution of legal education with a long history of educating practice-ready attorneys, prepares future lawyers to use ethics, ambition, and intellect to solve the world's problems. As one of only a few private law schools affiliated with a major research university, MSU Law offers comprehensive interdisciplinary opportunities combined with a personalized legal education. After 100 years as a private and independent institution, the affiliation with MSU has put the Law College on an upward trajectory of national and international reputation and reach. MSU Law professors are gifted teachers and distinguished scholars, its curriculum is rigorous and challenging, and its facility is equipped with the latest resources—all affirming MSU Law's commitment to educating 21st-century lawyers.
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