My scholarly work has been at the epicenter of developing future-focused thinking of how curricula can be shaped to address the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how we prepare students for changing professions and industries.
Drawing on my experience as an educator, academic leader and a senior leader within the fields of digital transformation, online learning and legal education, I am most passionate about approaches to learning and teaching which embed high-impact, realistic and interdisciplinary experiential learning, particularly in reimagining this in online learning environments, as well as the infusion of digital literacies within curriculum so that students are equipped in creative ways to become future-ready for careers and professions that are evolving due to the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
My research and scholarly work led me to coin the phrase ‘Digital lawyering’ to mean a body of theory that begins to formulate the sorts of learning that is required for law students to thrive in a digital age. The theory encapsulates an understanding of some of the complex and disruptive changes brought about by technologically mediated practices:
- And its impact in the current and fast-becoming future of legal practice, questioning what is required for a law graduate, trainee lawyer to thrive in a modern practice.
- And its impact on the sorts of knowledge beyond the components of subjects and modules that make up a law degree, questioning the interdisciplinary knowledge and awareness that can equip a law student to be future-ready.This is a really exciting time to be a law student and to join the profession. With the growth of the digital landscape and the technological disruptions in professional work and in legal practice, this presents a new and invigorating opportunity to strategically and creatively consider how law students can become equipped with the relevant knowledge, skills and attributes for working and participating in the digital world and society. It is also an opportunity to consider technology both as a tool to enhance practice and also as a theoretical subject interwoven into all aspects of a programme of study. Further, the rapid and continuous emergence and improvement to technology is transforming knowledge and critical thinking skills into a lifelong learning process.
As such, in 2019, I founded and hosted Digital Lawyering, the global interdisciplinary initiative to shape the direction of legal education for the digital age in 2019. I hosted the first event in Ambleside with some 100 delegates from across the world. The impact of this event has led to international collaborations to revisit the law degree.
All views expressed are my own driven by my passion for legal education, digital and online learning, digital transformation of subject knowledge and interdisciplinary learning.