How Hong Kong’s law schools are adapting their curricula to equip postgraduates with skills to handle new types of tech-linked cases, from online scams and identity theft to cybersecurity breaches:
The courses also cover ethical implications of AI in law, and practical training to prepare graduates for roles as legal technologists and cybersecurity advisers
To outside observers, the legal profession may seem rooted in long-held tradition and practice, but behind the scenes, major changes are being prompted by the need to keep pace with technology.
As a result, law schools in Hong Kong are adapting too, adding courses and relevant training to ensure postgraduate students have the future skills essential for success in their chosen careers.
There are two aspects to this shift. One is the way that advances in digitalisation are having a marked impact on how the offices of law firms and barristers’ chambers operate day to day. The other is that new types of tech-linked cases, involving anything from online scams to identity theft and cybersecurity breaches, require a higher level of specialised insight and expertise to bring them to a resolution.
“In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, it is important for legal professionals to be adept in the traditional skills and proficient in technology,” says Professor Sida Liu, associate dean (taught postgraduate programmes development) at the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) Faculty of Law. “Skills in data analytics and an understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly useful for lawyers, and in some areas of legal practice, such as intellectual property, they have become essential.”
Already, digital technologies are automating routine tasks, enhancing decision-making and improving access to legal services. AI-driven tools are able to expedite drafting of documents, due diligence work and some aspects of legal research. The consensus view is that these resources will not replace lawyers, but will make them more efficient, able to spend more time on complex, value-added tasks.
“As the profession continues to integrate advanced technologies, there will be a growing need for specialists such as legally trained data analysts, online service providers and cybersecurity advisers,” Liu says. “These roles are a unique blend of legal expertise and technical knowledge, and we are preparing our students to step into these emerging positions.”
This is taught though courses at HKU’s Law and Technology Centre and through newer programmes like the Master of Laws (LLM) in technology and intellectual property.