Trainees are joined by Mark Garrett, Director General, Law Society and Rory O’Boyle, Law Society to discuss the Challenges to the Profession and Legal Services Market
Moderated by Joanne Cox, this session on The Client Experience included contributions from Adrian Mulryan, CEO, Invesco Investment Management, and Eleanor Daly, Director and Associate General Counsel, Meta.
	Angela Denning, CEO of the Courts Service of Ireland and Brian Horkan, Partner, Mason Hayes and Curran discuss The Future for Technology and the Courts.
Technology Committee and Diploma Centre host the innovation and technology in legal solutions session with Chris Murnane, Legal Solutions Architect, Johnson Hana Law and Eileen Burns, Head of Tech & Legal Innovation Services Arthur Cox Law.
	The Future of Legal Practice Summit explored the Future of Work with insights from Barbara Carroll, Director of HR at the Law Society, Kevin Empey, Managing Director, WorkMatters, and Síobhra Rush, Partner, Lewis Silken - in a fitting hybrid format.

Trainee perspectives

Two trainee solicitors have kindly provided reports of their experience at the Summit.

Edwina Kelly, McCann FitzGerald

Having been tasked in my pre-seat with research on the legislative changes coming down the line on both a domestic and European level in the data protection sphere, I was particularly interested in attending this lecture titled “Beyond GDPR – the future of Data Regulation” given by Andrea Lawlor, Partner, A&L Goodbody. Andrea gave a concise yet thorough tour of the seismic up-and-coming legislative changes to the various data protection regimes, which I found to be very digestible especially for those who were completely new to this area of law.

The lecture explored the “new generation of data regulation” and looked at the restriction and regulation of data use by the general data protection regulations and e-privacy regulation, the new Data Governance Act and the Data Act which will govern facilitating and exploiting data use, and the anticipated Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act which aims to “create a more harmonized approach to doing business online across the EU and create a safer environment for users online.”

The way in which we work, play and do business online is ever changing and so this area of law can be difficult to navigate for both our clients, especially now as they face a stringent increase in their responsibilities and obligations as data processors and controllers, and as individuals who consent to our data to be used and stored commercially every day.

It was a very fitting theme to be included in The Future of Legal Practice Summit, especially as Ireland will play such an important role in enforcing these changes as a global hub for technological and innovation entities.

Karla Stack, Maples and Calder

I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Future of Legal Practice Summit in the middle of January as part of the ‘Law as Business – Managing a Legal Practice ‘course. Speakers from across the industry and beyond gathered to deliver talks on a vast array of topics ranging from artificial intelligence to climate and sustainability. I personally found it to be a unique and valuable learning experience unlike any other currently available on the PPC. It offered trainees key insights into emerging developments, current trends and challenges faced by the sector. Many speakers shared their own personal experiences and imparted invaluable advice.

There was a strong focus on legal technology. It is a useful tool which can be used to support, supplement, and replace traditional lawyering methods. The benefits do largely appear to outweigh the risks. It will continue to enhance our ability to complete more meaningful work, for example by reducing our administrative burden. However, as Kate McKenna of Frontline Ventures highlighted, legal technology is not a “silver bullet”. We also must not lose sight of the importance of the element of human touch in the delivery of our services to clients.

Climate change and sustainability were also heavily emphasised. The world we live in is rapidly changing and consequently the way we practice law must also change. The need for firms to develop and implement meaningful and responsible business policies and practices was clear. It appears that climate litigation will continue to rise into the future. I found the interaction with human rights law particularly fascinating in this respect.

I really enjoyed attending the event. It was an engaging and innovative way to learn from several market leaders and trailblazers. My key takeaway from the Summit was that the careers of trainees today will look nothing like those of the solicitors that have gone before us. My peers and I will need to remain flexible and adaptable as the future of law is constantly changing and evolving. It is undoubtedly an exciting time to be entering the profession. I look forward to seeing boundaries continuing to be broken throughout my career and beyond.