header-logo header-logo

17 July 2026
Issue: 8170 / Categories: Legal News , Legal services , Profession , Technology , Career focus
printer mail-detail

NLJ this week: Lawyers must become product designers

254929
© Getty images
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London

He argues advances in artificial intelligence, automation and digital platforms are transforming not just legal practice but the role of lawyers themselves. Routine legal work is increasingly automated, while clients now expect fast, platform-based services rather than traditional advisory relationships.

Mason predicts entry-level legal roles will diminish as lawyers focus on supervising technology and designing legal systems. Smaller firms, he says, must embrace digital delivery or rethink their business models. Legal education also needs radical reform, teaching students entrepreneurial thinking alongside legal doctrine.

As Mason puts it, 'the world of law is changing', and tomorrow's lawyers will need an entirely new mix of technical, strategic and commercial skills to succeed.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Muckle LLP—Roland Fairlamb

Specialist associate solicitor rejoins Muckle’s leading employment team

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
back-to-top-scroll