***LEGAL TECH EDUCATION IS GOING ONLINE!***

***BSP LTO 2020 CANCELLED***

DUE TO THE CURRENT PANDEMIC SITUATION THE 2020 EDITION OF THE LEGAL TECHNOLOGY & OPERATIONS SUMMER PROGRAM AT BUCERIUS WILL NOT BE TAKING PLACE THIS JULY.

IT WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR THE NEXT SUMMER, IN 2021.

READ MORE HERE.

Hi there, fellow legal tech aficionados?!

If you’re here, there’s a high chance that you’re interested in expanding your knowledge in the field of legal tech.

Perhaps you’re even a step further  –  looking at specific educational offerings. You’ve discovered the Legal Technology & Operations Summer Program (LTO) at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg.

If you’re considering attending and still need some more info or opinion, ideally, of the course’s alumni, look no further.

Here comes a review of the LTO from us:

Karolina and Theodora, 2019 edition’s participants.

We believe that the course is worth investing 3 weeks of your time (even if it becomes your 2020 holiday).

Below we dig deeper and provide the reasons why we recommend participating.

We also have a gift to share with 5 applicants for the upcoming edition.

We can nominate you for the special 15% discount on the tuition fee.

Quick maths: this means

a saving of 285 EUR

on 1900 EUR of the tuition fee.

In this post, we:

• present what is the course, its goals, programme, timings;
• answer 5 basic questions describing the participant experience (among others: its usefulness for work, best parts, who shall attend);
• provide our recommendation: do apply;
• share how to unlock your 15% discount, saving 285 EUR with our Blog.

If you have any other questions – get in touch!

DISCLAIMER

This is an independent review. It’s not requested, sponsored nor compensated in any way by the organisers. We simply want to share our experience.

Also, if you apply for your place using our blog’s special discount of 15% on the course’s tuition this does not carry any profit or compensation for us, either. We were kindly given this opportunity and want to help out in spreading the word about this great initiative.

Please, bear in mind, that our support in your application process does not guarantee that you will be selected as a participant. Yet, once the Admission Committee will have decided that your profile looks like a match for what Bucerius is looking for, then you will be able to use our discount.

Our blog’s special discount cannot be combined with any other discounts (so, for example, if you apply for an early bird fee you will not be eligible to redeem both, but only one discount of 15%).

Bucerius Law School Campus.

What is the Legal Tech & Operations Summer Program at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg?

The LTO Summer Program explores how will technology change the future of law and legal services. It allows its participants to “look behind the curtain of legal technology and understand the trends that will influence their future career”.

It’s a platform for sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas between technologists and lawyers. It’s delivered in a form of lectures, group discussions and practical tasks. On the way, participants build skills in project management as well as data collection and the application of metrics. The final capstone project enables participants to road-test these skills and apply knowledge gained in a practical setting.

The preliminary 2020 course curriculum contains:

• Computational Law and Data-Driven Automation by Prof. Daniel W. Linna Jr.
• From Lawyer to Legal Technology Founder by Alma Asay
• Innovation Diffusion in the Legal Industry by Prof. William Henderson
• Introduction to Legal Technology by Dr Roland Vogl
• Legal Analytics and Artificial Intelligence by Prof. Dr Daniel Katz
• Legal Operations by Gloria Sánchez Soriano
• Online Dispute Resolution and Public Justice Reform by Shannon Salter.

There are also more unique guests delivering additional lectures, as well as a study trip to Reinvent Law – a BakerMcKenzie backed legal innovation hub in Frankfurt am Main.

The course takes place over 3 weeks in July –  from 29th June to 17th July 2020. Its location is the Bucerius Law School in Hamburg.

The cost of the tuition fee is 1900 EUR (but you can get a discount of 15% with us).

For more details about the program, visit its website. You can also watch this video:

And specifically…

Here’s Theodora & Karolina answering 5 most important questions:

Theodora: The information we were provided with during the program was of particular value because it allowed us to critically analyse the evolution of and latest developments in the legal industry.

Additionally, getting to know people with the same interests is always helpful for developing ideas and starting off projects.

Karolina: In a nutshell, 3 aspects:

1. connections (high-level networking and new colleagues alike);
2. practical exercises applying the freshly gained knowledge and allowing to exchange experiences;
3. a solid, yet not overwhelming, portion of academic theory – delivered in an interactive way (presentations followed by discussions and group exercises, then implemented in practical tasks).

Also, the exposure to the fields new to me personally, such as the legal operations (it was an interesting in-house perspective of a global, corporate entity) or attempting to code (which I was previously only overseeing, never coding myself).

Theodora: This experience allowed me to get more insight into legal tech and innovation. What I liked the best was the opportunity to test differrent legal tech business ideas and swiftly adjust the products/solutions, depending on the feedback received from our peers.

The lecturers guided us through the latest developments in the field and encouraged lively debates that soon turned into ideas worth exploring. In fact, it was this experience that led us to consider starting the CEE Legal Tech Blog in the first place.

Karolina: A few specific skills and techniques gained during the course proved very valuable in my daily work.

From a recap of project management (silent brainstorming was a revelation!) through team composition (oh, the Belbin test ?) to online forms’ creation (albeit still rudimentary, I’m trying).

Theodora: This Summer Program should be attended by any legal professional interested in how the future of the industry stands to unfold. The only necessary prerequisites are curiosity and the propensity to think originally and critically.

Karolina: This is a course for both professionals and soon-to-be professionals in all functions across the legal market.

It is not only for lawyers!

My original hesitation about whether to attend came from the “back to school” fear: finding myself listening all days to academic theory. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with such type of education per se (says I – until 2018 a PhD student myself!).

Here, though, my hope was to gain more “executive-style” practical training, insights and tips from more experienced practitioners, as a guidance for the daily tech-related endavours in law. This was delivered!

The course was a good mix of theory and practice. Equally, the pool of participants was very versatile: various roles, levels of experience, specific goals and, last but not least, half of the world represented!

On a funny note, sometimes I felt back in the student-bubble (in a hoody, main “stress”: not having fully done the homework). Other times it did feel like work. Being assigned to teams to complete projects, with tight deadlines and pressures. Not always were we in full understaning of each other, as team-development was rather sped up. A microcosm of work outside of work! Plus, a conclusion: lawyers are copetitive at heart.

Cheers to our amazing colleagues and our (self-elected) team, gathered for the completion of the final practical project (in lieu of an exam):

Well-deserved relaxation after the final presentation. We rocked! Our Capstone Project Team (left to right): Theodora, Cem, Max, Jurij, Karolina and Daniel.

Theodora: Organizers’ friendliness, top quality discussions, mutual exchange of ideas with my colleagues and lecturers were all elements that transformed this Summer Program into a remarkable experience. Getting out from the hectic job routine and exercising the Socratic learning method were of great use for developing a different, critical perspective on the legal industry.

Karolina: What was the most impressive to me was the organisational side.

That isn’t to say that the educational part was lacking anything (far from it, take it as given!). Yet this feeling of everything being taken care of (including tips on going out places and a list of recommended swimming pools from Sabrina!), being fully informed of every process and always on-time. Also, little touches (Haribo at the back of the classroom did bring a child’s smile on our chewing faces). And super helpful and kind people on the team. Just W O W.

Oh and not to forget: the mensa and the campus (formerly the faculty of botanics, central, spacious, pretty and uber modern, including napping rooms and a variety of study and project areas).

Theodora: Take your time to get to know the people you meet, be they in the same summer program as you or not. You’ll come across individuals from all around the world, from different backgrounds and cultures. Use this three-weeks period to broaden your perspective.

Also, put on your comfy shoes and go out and explore Hamburg. This city is abundant in museums, concert halls, parks, pubs, teahouses and cafés (ideal for socialising or simply for catching up with the reading assignments for the next lecture ?). When not in search for a particular destination, stroll along the streets or rent a boat through the canals: the city’s architecture is purely magnificent.

Karolina: Immerse yourself in the course (and Hamburg!). Sure, we all had to put out fires or simply keep an eye on work mail. In general, though, it was great to feel like a student of an innovative institution, surrounded by top-of-the-game professors, leaders and innovators plus a crew of like-minded colleagues.

As to Hamburg: this is a vibrant city, full of culture and buzz, with heaps of greenery, too. It’s a great mix of history and culture. Endless opportunities to explore. If you can, rent a bike for your stay (the most eco-friendly, healthy, convenient and traditionally local way to travel).

Depending on where you’re coming from – for some travelling to Berlin, Amsterdam or Paris on a weekend will be their goal, as it’s relatively easy. For others (myself included), discovering Lower Saxony will provide excitement, given that it’s frequently off the main tourist routes while hiding many gems (Hanseatic heritage, trips to the seaside, kayaking in Hamburg etc.).

In summary, we found the course very useful (high quality, relevant content delivered by great lecturers) and enjoyed it. The gained know-how and connections prove invaluable.

Especially when you compare other available legal tech offerings, their content vs investment of time and money, we believe this course provides a great return on investment. It can be career-changing in a self-sufficient manner. You can also see it as putting your foot on the ladder, a first step to then explore further. All in all, as both Prof. Dan Linna and Prof. Dan Katz said: “we’re trying to teach the entire full-semester class in the space of 3 weeks”. So, surely, there’s more to discover. If you want a general intro to the main legal tech issues – to find out what will be your area of interest and achieve some broad competency; then the Bucerius Legal Tech & Operations Summer Program does deliver.

Hence, we recommend that you apply.

As to the specific academic content of the LTO’s curriculum: stay tuned. We’ll write more about the specific classes and lecturers in the coming posts.

How to get the CEE Legal Tech Blog’s Special Discount of 15 % (285 euro) on the tuition fee?

All you have to do is to follow these three simple steps:

STEP 1:

Thank you for reading ?

We’re both looking forward to any questions about the course you might have – do get in touch! That’s, of course, from the perspective of the participant. All other issues are best dealt with by the Bucerius Admission Team, especially Sabrina Hening, the Program’s Coordinator. They’re really there to help you (even if you request a list of swimming pools! Thank you, Sabrina ?!).

PS. To whet your appetite take a look at how beautiful Hamburg and the surrounding area is. The unusually cold and gloomy weather of July 2019 did not stop us from exploring. We took short trips to Bremen and Lubeck and countless walks (and cycles) in the city.

Enjoy ?

Karolina Jackowicz

Karolina Jackowicz is a (re)inventor. With analytical mind – lawyer by education. As curious and empathetic spirit – mediator by profession. At heart, driven by creative urge with a get-go attitude – a habitual process improver turned manager, serving as legal tech start-up’s CEO. When not on the road: swimming, reading or walking basenji Amiś.

Theodora Stoica

Theodora Stoica is an ahead of the curve, experienced lawyer and entrepreneur, interested in technology, science and history, using law-tech-design tools for a visionary 360-degree approach to the legal industry. Theodora loves animals and she’s actively advocating for their welfare.