Book Event

The Law Society in Birmingham: Legal Tech, AI and the Road Ahead

         

Date: Tuesday 30th June

Time: 5.30pm – 8pm

Venue: Gateley, One Eleven, Edmund Street, Birmingham, B3 2HJ 

Price: FREE for members | £10 +VAT for non-members 

Birmingham Law Society’s Legal Tech Committee is pleased to host a special in-person event in Birmingham with speakers from The Law Society’s technology policy team.

This event will offer local practitioners, academics, students and others with an interest in legal innovation an opportunity to hear directly from The Law Society about its current work in the field of legal technology and artificial intelligence, including recent resource publications, policy developments and future priorities.

The evening will include short presentations from Law Society speakers Mia Leslie, Dr Janis Wong and Mary Towers, followed by a wider open discussion and audience Q&A chaired by Alan Ma, Chair of the Birmingham Law Society Legal Tech Committee. The discussion will be informed by questions raised in advance as well as questions from the floor on the evening.

This is an opportunity to gain a clearer understanding of the direction of travel in legal tech policy and practice, and to engage in discussion with others across the Birmingham legal community.

Indicative themes to be covered

• The Law Society’s corporate strategy and technology mission


• The role of the technology policy team, including its functions, strategic priorities and areas of work


• Examples of recent work, with a particular focus on AI • Supporting members with technology adoption, including the Buying New Technology Guide


• AI, regulation and innovation, including the AI Growth Lab


• AI and the justice system, both criminal and civil


• Future work, including development of the AI Practice Note and wider opportunities for solicitor input

Speakers

Mary Towers is a Policy Adviser in Technology Law and Responsible Innovation at the Law Society. She has many years of experience in both technology and employment rights policy, having previously led the TUC’s work on artificial intelligence. Mary is also a qualified solicitor and spent over ten years working as an employment lawyer in both private practice and in-house roles.

Mia Leslie is the Technology Law and Digital Transformation Policy Adviser at the Law Society, working on legal, regulatory and policy developments across data, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to support the legal profession in England and Wales and promote access to justice. She previously worked at the Institute for the Future of Work and Public Law Project, leading research and policy work on the impact of AI and automation on work, public decision-making and the rule of law.

Dr Janis Wong is the Policy Manager for Private Law, Technology and Sustainability at the Law Society of England and Wales. She led on the organisation’s first AI Strategy and supports technology policy initiatives to support the legal profession and access to justice. Janis holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Computer Science, which was awarded the best data protection thesis prize by the Council of Europe.

Who should attend?

Solicitors, barristers, legal professionals, academics, students and others with an interest in legal technology, AI and the future of legal practice.

Got a question for the speakers? Attendees are warmly invited to submit questions in advance, either by including in the additional information field when booking or by emailing events@birminghamlawsociety.co.uk. We will be taking questions from the audience on the evening too. We are keen for the discussion to help inform The Law Society’s understanding of local needs and priorities in this area.

Agenda

5.30pm Registration and networking

6pm Welcome and introduction from the President of Birmingham Law Society followed by presentations from The Law Society technology policy team

7pm Open discussion and audience Q&A chaired by Alan Ma followed by networking

8pm Close