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

NLJ Career Profile: Maryam Syed KC, Church Court Chambers

NLJ Career Profile: Maryam Syed KC, Church Court Chambers

From childhood dreams of the Bar to some of the country's most challenging cases, Maryam Syed KC explains why she has never stopped standing up for others

DAC Beachcroft—Richard Breavington, Rachel Ford & Daniel Guilfoyle

DAC Beachcroft—Richard Breavington, Rachel Ford & Daniel Guilfoyle

DAC Beachcroft significantly expands Cyber team, hiring three Cyber partners

Browne Jacobson—Professor Clive Kay

Browne Jacobson—Professor Clive Kay

Browne Jacobson appoints senior healthcare leader Professor Clive Kay as strategic adviser

NEWS
Should every solicitor found to have acted dishonestly face automatic striking off? The answer, argues John Gould, chair of Russell-Cooke LLP in NLJ this week, is no 
Winning an arbitral award against a state is one thing; enforcing it is another
Can government success in court tell us whether the rule of law is healthy? 
Poorly drafted dispute resolution clauses can trigger litigation before the real dispute is even addressed
As cryptocurrency becomes mainstream, family lawyers are increasingly confronting the challenges it creates on divorce
back-to-top-scroll