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Centre of Excellence Legal Technology
Based at our Moorgate campus, this Centre of Excellence offers a range of programmes, resources, and partnerships to equip you with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the field of legal technology.
What is a Centre of Excellence?
A Centre of Excellence is a facility that provides best practice and knowledge around a particular area. Our Centres of Excellence offer you the opportunity to study your chosen law specialism with dedicated support from our expert lecturers. You’ll benefit from their knowledge and experience in legal technology.
Across our different Centres of Excellence, we work with governing bodies and provide specialist modules and electives that allow you to shape your studies to meet your career needs.
This Centre of Excellence is supported by The University’s Tech Research Academy, or ULTRA.
The critical issues that legal technology seek to address have global consequences, so the international nature of our Online campus provides an excellent opportunity for students worldwide to engage in comprehensive discussions about these issues. We also provide a teaching hub for this subject area at our Bristol campus.
What is Legal Technology?
Simply put, legal technology is the hardware and software that is used to provide legal services. It aims to improve the legal services provided as well as advance the way the justice system operates.
Legal technology aims to improve risk management, complete projects faster and give greater transparency to clients, all while reducing costs. Examples of legal technology include Artificial Intelligence (AI), legal automation, improved workflows, data science and blockchain. Legal tech empowers lawyers to stay in tune with the latest legal developments and regulatory changes, enabling them to provide comprehensive and proactive legal counsel.
The University of Law’s Legal technology modules provide students with an excellent understanding of how technology could enhance the provision of legal service to clients and allows them to explore these technologies first hand with a suite of exercises built into the courses. These courses don’t just develop your regulatory knowledge but will also give you the opportunity to develop ethical frameworks alongside them. The nature of legal technology covers every facet of law, so students can use the knowledge obtained in any field that they wish to go into.
By studying this shubject, you could become an IP policy maker, data protection and compliance manager, data protection adviser, patent manager, techno-ethicist, legal technologist, legal technology strategist or work within legal technology innovation.
The named programmes we offer within Legal Technology are:
- LLM Data Protection and Intellectual Property
- MSc Legal Technology
- PG Dip Legal Technology
- PG Cert Legal Technology
Suggested modules
We offer modules covering many different areas of law so you can tailor your Master’s to meet your interests and career goals. With our Master of Laws (LLM) programmes, you will have a minimum of one award-linked module, which you must write your dissertation on, and you can choose up to three elective modules.
For all programmes, you must study two modules from Group A and two from Group B. For our legal technology courses, we recommend the following modules, however you have the option to choose from our full range of elective modules.
Group A
- Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain in Law*
- Corporate Governance and Disruptive Technology
- Cyberlaws
Group B
- Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain in Law*
- Data Protection and Intellectual Property
- Technoethics in Law
- The Internet of Things
*Please note: this module is offered in both Group A and Group B, however you will only need to select this module once. Depending on the time of year you start your course, this compulsory module will be run in either the first or the second term.
Our Lecturers
Our faculty members are recognised experts in the field, conducting cutting-edge research and engaging with industry leaders to shape the direction of policy and law.
Dr Anna Elmirzayeva – Senior Lecturer
Anna’s interest in legal technology was founded in her belief that technology literacy is one of the key skills of the future, and the forces of innovation around technology change the practice of law. Starting from a non-law route, she achieved a BA in International Relations before moving on to a Master's in International Law. She then obtained an LLM in European law, a PhD in Law from University of Essex, and completed the Oxford Blockchain strategy programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Anna’s academic focus has remained in automation and technological innovation, particularly AI and Blockchain applications in law and other industries. She is also researching and actively incorporating training on cognitive skills as part of The University of Law’s innovation programmes.
Anna joined The University of Law in September 2018 and was the lead designer of the AI and Blockchain in Law module. Anna also has a role as National Programme Lead for Legal Technology and Innovation (Professional Development).
She is a member of The University of Law’s legal tech research academy (ULTRA), the British Blockchain Association, and a frequent attendee and speaker at innovation and tech conferences, which helps her keep her up to date with the latest regulatory, technological and thought leadership developments.
Want to hear more from our lecturers?
Our lecturers deliver a range of research seminars, Including “Generative AI in Law”, “Technology in International Arbitration”, “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Boardroom” and “The Issue of Propriety Rights in Digital Assets: Should a Third Class of Asset be Created to Revolutionise the Use of Blockchain in the Commercial World?”.
