Rethinking Legal Education and Practice: Insights from ILTN’s First Knowledge Sharing Session

Admin ILTN
Apr 12
3 min read

On 2nd March 2024, the Indian LegalTech Network (ILTN) hosted its first knowledge sharing session with Sohini Shrivastav, marking the beginning of a series of conversations aimed at bridging the gap between law and technology.

Hosted by Lawyantra, the session brought together students and professionals to explore a critical question: How prepared is the legal ecosystem for an AI-driven future?

The State of Legal Education: A Structural Gap

One of the most pressing themes that emerged was the disconnect between legal education and technological reality.

India has over 900 law schools producing approximately 90,000 graduates each year. Yet, the curriculum remains largely unchanged since 2008—heavily theoretical, with limited scope for interdisciplinary learning or practical exposure.

Technology, despite its growing relevance, is barely integrated into legal training. Even professional ethics—an essential component of legal education—fails to address the complexities introduced by AI and digital systems.

The result is a system that prepares students for a version of legal practice that is rapidly evolving.

Technology in Practice: Adoption Is Already Underway

While education lags, legal practice is moving ahead.

AI and technology are already being integrated into:

Legal research
Document management systems (DMS)
Case management tools
eDiscovery processes
Virtual hearings and collaboration platforms

This creates a widening gap—where the industry is adopting tools that new graduates are often unprepared to use effectively.

New Roles, New Opportunities

The session also highlighted how LegalTech is expanding the scope of legal careers.

Emerging roles include:

Legal Tech Consultants
AI Legal Researchers
Data Analysts in legal contexts
AI Policy Advisors
Contract Intelligence Specialists
LegalTech startup founders

These roles reflect a broader shift—from traditional legal pathways to interdisciplinary careers that combine law, technology, and data.

The Changing Economics of Legal Work

AI is also reshaping the economics of legal practice.

By automating repetitive tasks, it reduces time spent on routine work—challenging traditional billable hour models. At the same time, it creates opportunities for efficiency-based pricing and allows professionals to take on higher volumes of work.

This shift demands a re-evaluation of both talent and organisational structures within legal teams.

The Student Engagement Challenge

An interesting observation from the session was the difference in engagement levels.

While professionals showed strong interest in LegalTech, student participation remained relatively low. This points to a need for more hands-on, practical exposure—moving beyond theoretical discussions to demonstrations and real-world applications.

Emerging Areas of Practice

As technology becomes more embedded in business operations, new legal domains are gaining prominence.

Roles such as product counsel—where legal professionals work closely with tech teams—are becoming increasingly relevant. This reflects a broader trend of law intersecting more directly with innovation and product development.

The Risks: AI Hallucinations and Accountability

The conversation also addressed the risks associated with AI adoption.

One key concern is the phenomenon of “hallucinations”—where AI systems generate incorrect or fabricated information. In a legal context, this raises serious questions around accuracy, reliability, and accountability.

The takeaway was clear: AI can assist—but it cannot replace human judgment.

The Way Forward

The session concluded with a set of clear recommendations:

Urgent updates to legal curricula to include AI and technology
Greater emphasis on practical, hands-on training
Integration of interdisciplinary learning models
Expansion of ethics frameworks to address technological challenges
Increased efforts to engage students meaningfully with LegalTech

Looking Ahead

ILTN’s first knowledge sharing session set the tone for what lies ahead.

The conversation made one thing evident—LegalTech is not a distant possibility. It is already shaping how law is learned, practiced, and delivered.