Colin Levy Discusses His New Book The Legal Tech Ecosystem & the Skills Needed to Succeed in Legal Tech
Mar 28, 2024
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Colin Levy, an author and head of legal at Malbek, dives into his journey into legal tech, detailing his transition from paralegal to in-house counsel. He discusses insights from his book, The Legal Tech Ecosystem, which serves as a beginner's guide to legal tech. Colin highlights essential skills for success, stressing data comprehension and adaptability. He explores the importance of structured processes and how legal tech is more than just AI, encompassing practical tools that enhance legal work and innovation.
Colin Levy highlights the necessity of understanding data and effective communication as crucial skills for success in legal tech.
He emphasizes that legal innovation encompasses broader improvements beyond technology, stressing the importance of refining processes and cultural shifts.
Deep dives
The Intersection of Law and Technology
Legal technology is transforming the legal industry by bridging the gap between those needing legal support and those providing it. Colin Levy's journey into legal tech began early in his career, exposing him to various technologies that could enhance legal processes. His insights reflect a practical approach, acknowledging that technology can provide solutions but is not always the answer to every legal challenge. Through his experiences in different roles, Levy has emphasized that understanding how technology can be effectively integrated into legal practices is crucial for innovation.
Defining Legal Innovation
A clear distinction exists between legal technology and legal innovation, with the former being a tool to facilitate the latter. Legal innovation encompasses various approaches to improving processes, which may or may not involve technology. For instance, creating a new operational procedure within a legal team is a form of innovation that does not require technology at all, highlighting the need for cultural and structural shifts in legal practices. This broader view allows legal professionals to consider all avenues of improvement, ensuring organizations do not rely solely on technology as a solution.
Essential Skills for Success
To thrive in the legal tech space, professionals should develop skills that extend beyond traditional legal knowledge. Understanding data and metrics is crucial, as technology often relies on data-driven decisions. Additionally, effective communication and interpersonal skills allow legal professionals to relate to colleagues who may not be as tech-savvy, fostering collaboration and learning within teams. Finally, having a clear understanding of individual motivations for venturing into legal tech helps professionals focus their efforts and navigate the vast array of opportunities available in this growing field.
The Importance of Process
Successful integration of legal technology hinges not only on the technology itself but also on the processes it aims to enhance. If existing processes are flawed or broken, simply adding technology may worsen the situation rather than provide a solution. A well-structured process is necessary to accommodate new tools, ensuring that technology enhances productivity rather than complicates workflows. This realization reinforces the concept of the 'legal tech ecosystem,' where people, processes, and technology must function interdependently for effective legal practice.
In this episode Colin Levy shares insights from his new book, The Legal Tech Ecosystem, his journey into legal tech, and his role at contract lifecycle management company, Malbek as Head of Legal and Chief Evangelist.
Conversation highlights:
Colin’s journey into legal tech: Colin shares how he first got into legal tech during his time as a paralegal at a big law firm in New York, his decision to work for a year before attending law school and his choice to work in an in-house legal department after graduation.
Colin's role at Malbek: As the Director of Legal and the Chief Evangelist at Malbek, Colin's day-to-day tasks vary from traditional legal work to writing blog posts, participating in webinars, attending events, and assisting with marketing and sales efforts.
The Legal Tech Ecosystem: Colin talks about his new book, which serves as an accessible, non-technical introduction to the world of legal tech. The book combines Colin's experiences and learnings with anecdotes and quotes from other legal tech leaders.
Skills needed in legal tech: Colin emphasizes the importance of understanding data, meeting people where they are, and having a clear understanding of why you want to learn about legal tech. He also talks about the need for openness to risk, experimentation, and discomfort.
Legal tech vs. legal innovation: Colin clarifies that legal tech is not just about AI and robots, it can be more mundane but still helpful tools like billing software. The focus should be on making people's lives easier and increasing productivity and efficiency.