Episode 179: Future 50 Series - Legal education for generation AI
Sep 14, 2023
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Abdi Shayesteh, the CEO & Founder of AltaClaro, discusses the need for transformative legal education to bridge the digital literacy gap. He shares his personal journey in law and entrepreneurship, the growth of his company and their partnership with Orick. They also highlight the development of a new course on AI tools for legal professionals and the importance of industry collaborations in transforming legal education.
AltaClaro is reshaping legal education by focusing on digital literacy and providing practical training for lawyers and legal professionals.
Altoclaro's success in transforming legal education is largely due to innovative collaborations and partnerships, offering platform-neutral and practice-neutral courses that promote experiential learning and critical thinking skills.
Deep dives
Altoclaro: Reimagining Legal Education
Altoclaro, founded and led by Abdi Sheyestay, is reshaping legal education by focusing on digital literacy. Sheyestay's experience as an entrepreneur and lawyer inspired him to address the lack of practical training for young lawyers. Altoclaro offers courses that provide practical skills and leverage technology to enhance learning. The company works with law firms to create platform-neutral and practice-neutral courses that teach attorneys and legal professionals how to effectively utilize AI tools. Through bite-sized videos, assessments, practical exercises, and live review sessions, Altoclaro's courses enable learners to enhance their digital literacy and apply these skills in real-world scenarios. The collaboration with law firm Oric resulted in the development of programs like technology transactions and responsible AI, providing practical training and experiential learning opportunities for summer associates.
Altoclaro's success in transforming legal education is largely due to innovative collaborations and partnerships. The company brings together subject matter specialists, educational experts, and technology specialists to create high-quality courses. Collaborating with law firms like Oric, Altoclaro designs courses that address specific pain points and enhance client service. The courses focus on experiential learning, where learners actively engage in tasks and receive feedback. This approach emulates real-world scenarios and promotes critical thinking skills. In addition, Altoclaro's emphasis on platform-neutral and practice-neutral training ensures learners can apply the skills across different tools and areas of law. Through these collaborations, Altoclaro is reshaping legal education and accelerating the adoption of digital literacy.
Micro-Credentialing and the Future of Legal Education
Altoclaro's approach to legal education aligns with the concept of micro-credentialing and the shift towards practical, skills-based learning. While traditional academic approaches to legal education focus on theoretical concepts, Altoclaro's courses provide learners with practical skills and hands-on experience. The collaboration between practitioners and instructional designers ensures that the courses deliver tangible outcomes and meet market needs. By providing industry-recognized certificates and leveraging technology, Altoclaro offers learners the opportunity to upskill and enhance their career prospects. While some law schools have begun incorporating Altoclaro's programs into their curriculum, the emphasis on post-law school training and external providers fills the gap left by traditional legal education. Altoclaro's innovative and practical approach positions it as a leader in the industry's shift towards micro-credentialing and digital literacy.
Urgency for Digital Literacy Education in the Legal Industry
The legal industry faces an urgent need for digital literacy education due to the rapid adoption of technology. Altoclaro recognizes the scale of this challenge and believes that innovative law firms, like Oric, will lead the way. Clients increasingly seek law firms with digital literacy capabilities, driving the need for lawyers to adapt and become proficient in using AI tools. Altoclaro's courses address this urgency by providing attorneys and legal professionals with the skills and knowledge to navigate the digital landscape responsibly and efficiently. The approach of experiential learning, reflection, and continuous improvement facilitates quick adoption and practical application of digital skills. As more law firms become early adopters and prioritize digital literacy, the legal industry is poised to take a leadership position in leveraging technology for better service delivery and improved efficiencies.
No matter what industry you put under the microscope or where you turn right now, there are gaps in digital literacy. Tech and AI are evolving at an unprecedented pace. Legal has and will come under increased scrutiny to keep up to remain relevant. And what that means is upskilling or reskilling on a scale we have never seen before. The legal world is not ready for this, not by a long shot.
We won’t close the digital literacy gap doing legal education the same way, in the same places – we need to do legal education differently and for a new generation - generation AI!
In this session in the Future 50 Series of the CLI Legalpreneurs Spotlight, we chatted with Abdi Shayesteh, the CEO & Founder of AltaClaro. Abdi’s background as a teenage entrepreneur, lawyer, and innovator led him to think differently about legal education and then, with his team of education, tech, and subject area specialists, reinvent it!
AltaClaro is leading the way in a new type of experiential legal education – a collaboration with industry partners laser focussed on agile program development, leveraging tech and upskilling/reskilling in person, in small groups, at scale. In the example we spoke about, what started as a conversation over coffee has turned into a suite of programs aimed at bridging the gap in digital literacy for lawyers and allied legal professionals.
If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.
About the Future 50 Series
In the Future 50 Series we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.
If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au
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