A joint event by
· Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) West Midlands Branch;
· British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) Birmingham Branch;
· the Society for Computers and Law (SCL); and
· the School of Law of Birmingham City University (BCU).
DATE: Tuesday, 1st November 2022 - Hybrid Event
VENUE: CST008 ROOM, The Steam HOUSE, Birmingham City University and Online
BOOK: here
SPEAKERS
Dr Alan Ma, a lecturer at BCU’s School of Law
Damian Croker, LegalTech CEO, Arbitrator and Mediator
AGENDA
17:00 – Introduction: The hosting organisations, the event, and the speakers, TBA
17:20 – A metric for technology adoption in law firms, Dr Alan Ma
18:00 – Legal tech, lawyers and the climate, Damian Croker
18:40 – Q&A
19:00 - Close
SYNOPSIS
Three contemporary issues that affect the future of law form the topic of our evening event. Two speakers will address these issues.
The first speaker is our Dr Alan Ma on “Legal tech adoption in law firms”. It is undisputed that legal tech drives growth in law firms. However, making a management decision to adopt specific technology is never easy. Firstly, it is a commitment of vast financial resources, not only the capital expenditure of purchasing and setting up of the system but the associated costs of upgrading the staff’s skills and the maintenance of its operation. Secondly, the cornucopia of options available on the market creates confusion even for savvy decision-makers. The dire consequence of adopting an unsuitable product extends far beyond the initial expenditure. It is not uncommon to hear that firms’ profits per equity partner (PEP) are lowered by their unwanted technologies.
Dr Ma will explain the development of a model that can be used by law firms as a business tool to decide the legal tech adoption rate and scale, and the subsequent monitoring of the effectiveness of the business.
The second speaker is Damian Croker. His topic is “LegalTech, Lawyers and the Climate”.
Lawyers and their IT partners can play an important role in mitigating the impact of climate change. The talk will be a critical analysis of technology, its use by lawyers and the impact on climate change. Various technologies will be considered including ever-popular AI and blockchain plus more mundane technologies such as email. Datacentres also get a mention. Current climate-related initiatives in the world of IT and law will be outlined and discussed. This is a gloves-off talk about the realities of the IT and legal sector and climate change.
ABOUT THE ORGANISERS
CIArb is an international centre of excellence for the practice and profession of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Its members are based across 149 countries. The West Midland branch is a regional hub for practitioners, policy makers, academics and those in business, supporting the promotion, facilitation and development of all ADR methods.
BCS is the professional body for computing. It represents 60,000 IT professionals worldwide leading the IT industry. Its Birmingham Branch is a prominent and vibrant regional centre that supports the aim of BCS to advance knowledge and education, and for the benefit of the public.
SCL seeks to cultivate discussion and provide foundational and advanced training at the intersection of information technology and law. Its president, Professor Richard Susskind OBE FRSE, is a leading authority in the law of the future and the future of law. SCL is the only appointment body named in the Digital Dispute Resolution Rules by the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce endorsed by Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls.
BCU’s School of Law is at the forefront of providing innovative courses for aspiring lawyers providing practice-based, industry-led real-world education using real-time live research results. Graduate+ prepares BCU’s graduates for individual career aspirations. It is the first scheme to receive employability-endorsed status from Avance HE.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Dr Alan Ma is qualified in IT, Engineering and Law and is a lecturer in Law at Birmingham City University. He is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales, and Scotland (non-practising on the Roll of the Law Society of Scotland), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a Chartered Engineer and a full member of the British Computer Society, The Chartered Institute for IT. His working experience in engineering, computing technology, and legal practices spans more than 30 years. Before his academic appointment at Birmingham City University in England in 2019, Alan was Resident Partner of an English law firm’s branch office in Hong Kong as a registered foreign law firm. He practised English law in 3 jurisdictions. He was the training principal of 15 English qualified solicitors presently practising in England or in Hong Kong, and one of them is now a barrister and an international arbitrator practising in the City of London. When in Hong Kong, he scouted various start-up tech companies in Shenzhen as part of the firm’s growth plan.
Damian Croker
Accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator
Civil Mediation Council (CMC) Registered Mediator
Member – Society for Computers and Law Sustainability and ESG Committee
Member – Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI) Climate Change Project Team
Visiting Professor International Commercial Arbitration - Shanghai Lixin University
Chair- Campaign for Greener Arbitrations (CGA) Latin America Committee
Member – Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Professional Development Advisory Group
Past Branch Chair - Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Signatory - Arbitration Green Pledge and the Mediators Green Pledge
International ADR practitioner with a focus on commercial arbitration and mediation in the technology sector and mediation of community disputes. Founder of two legal tech companies - Lexdech (IP Services Platform) and ODRPlat (Carbon Neutral Dispute Resolution Platform). Visiting Professor in International Arbitration at the Shanghai Lixin University. Chair Campaign for Greener Arbitrations (CGA) Latin America. Society for Computers and Law Sustainability and ESG Committee Member. Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI) Climate Change Project Team Member. Former Branch Chair Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Past member of International Trademark Association’s (INTA) Internet Committee.
Regular speaker and writer on ADR, technology/IP, climate action and access to justice. Past presenter of the Creating Brand Value session on the UK IPO’s IP Masterclass course. Speaker on the Imperial College Intellectual Property MBA elective.
Editor of the Guide to Protecting Trademarks in European Dependent Territories. Contributor to IP protection articles for various media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNN and CNBC. Cited in Chokepoints Global Private Regulation on the Internet by Natasha Tusikov.