I have often wondered what it would be like to switch from an atypical traditional legal practice to a tech-infused legal practice. I was working in the largest legal bar in Africa, where I practiced law for over six years as a litigation lawyer, handling several disputes, ranging from civil suits to election petitions applying the traditional principles of law. It seemed straightforward to understand who the parties were, as these disputes involved either humans or companies and then, there came a niche area in the law that involved computers. It is exciting, isn’t it? In today’s world, technology has become a large part of our lives. There is an element of technology infused in almost all our dealings. So what happens when chatbots or humanoids (a non-human entity with human form or characteristics) are involved in a dispute? How do you regulate it? What laws are applicable? Do not forget you are dealing with neither a human nor a company. For this reason, I embarked on a path that trailed from being a typical litigation lawyer to an IT lawyer (AKA pseudo-techie).
What is IT Law?
Let me paint a picture for you. Before technology, the law was applicable to natural persons (humans) and legal persons (companies and other corporate bodies). Now, we apply the law to technology. Say, if you are attacked by a robot, who do you sue? Recently, Saudi Arabia’s first ‘male’ humanoid harassed a reporter. Can the robot be sued (bear in mind, it is neither human nor company)? Is it harassment? Do you sue the owner of the robot or the person who developed the robot? Should the robot be given human rights and treated as a human being? Can you get the robot to pay for damages? There are several questions here that need to be addressed. This is where the fusion of law and technology happens, and justice must be served, but against whom?
When I made plans for this career switch, after weeks of scouring through the internet in search of a university that offered IT law as a programme and not a course attached to another programme. I was left disappointed by the lack of options available to me. Then, a friend recommended the University of Tartu to me. This was the start of a euphoric movement upon which I conducted research. The programme UT offered had much more than I had in my impractical imagination. It offered a programme properly tailored to equip students with expertise in this evolving field, a uniquely crafted blend of law and information technology. From the technical courses (that had me in tears) to the legal courses and finally, the practical application of all that was learned during the programme.
So why did I choose the IT Law programme at UT?
I chose this programme at UT to understand how to apply traditional law to technology, understand the regulations of technology, and learn the areas where law and technology could create a career path for a typical litigation lawyer. What you are going to read from here on is solely my personal experience. Before September 2023, if you had asked me what “python” was, my first instinct was to tell you that it was a snake. Fast-forward to the end of the “Introduction to Programming” course, I eventually found myself explaining the terms in a contract using programming terminologies as references to software developers. I explained how and why certain terms were present in a contract, was able to elaborate further, and ensured that they understood the information presented to them. It made sense to them when I used these technical nuances to explain the terms of an NDA. The feeling of sheer pride that followed that moment was overwhelming. Again, this was impossible before September 2023.
Recently, I have been taking online courses regarding the issues of public key cryptography, hashing, encryption, and blockchain. During one of the lessons, the speaker explained the elementary operations of a blockchain and its relation to smart contracts. I sat through a 24-minute video with a huge smile on my face, “This is not rocket science”! “I actually know what he is talking about”! A concept that once seemed daunting, now looked extremely comprehensible (courtesy of the information security course). Now, I could go on and tell you how useful these technical courses have been for me but, this would become the length of a PhD thesis, not a blog post.
It was an expectation of legal courses, rules of regulation, regulatory framework of technology, and computer-related devices, but I got more than what I drew up in my head: a blend of law and tech, a perfect balance of both worlds. The fact that I came with certain expectations, but I was met with practical results, makes this journey even more impactful.
Did I mention experiential learning at its core?
The IT Law lab, the moot courts, the contract drafting, and everything you need to put theoretical lingo to real-life scenarios to propel your legal career in the tech world are offered on a platter. Who could say no? When I chose the programme at UT, it stated that there were practical sessions, and the IT Lab is one of those. We have a chance to work with real IT startup companies and apply our academic knowledge of IT law by helping them understand legal issues such as compliance and regulatory problems, intellectual property, contracts, etc., as they relate to their companies. While doing that, we are navigating through a realistic web-like programme where everything is interconnected. Some of the courses might seem too technical, and you might be wondering, “Why am I doing this? I am a lawyer”. Two courses down the line and you reach an epiphany, “Aha! It all makes sense now”. For example, we took a course in information security and I was wondering why. It is because it relates to the Cyber Defence and International Cyber Security courses. One course teaches you how these attacks happened in the technical niceties, and the other course explains the legal implications and regulatory notions of these attacks. The structure of the programme just makes sense at the end of the day. There is no such thing as an “overly technical useless course” to a lawyer; they are all linked.
Admittedly, I had initially lamented about how technical some of the courses were (for instance, Introduction to Programming). However, I have learned to appreciate it as time progresses. As a legal professional looking at legal practice through the lens of digital transformation in law practice. UT MA in IT law offers you a perfect opportunity to blend legal rudiments with technological training. This results in exploring legal dimensions of technological innovations while granting you the required expertise to thrive and succeed in the IT Law field. In this field, numerous career paths are available to you, such as Intellectual property consultant, data and privacy regulatory officer or counsel, IT product consultant and counsel, IT commercial contract consultation expert, legal startup counsel/consultant, and other employment roles. It enables you to make a successful switch from the typical litigation or commercial law legal practitioner to an IT law expert. So, if you are looking for that perfect combination, apply to the master’s in Information Technology Law programme and join the community of legal professionals exploring the intersection of law and technology and have an experience like mine! If you are already here, welcome! It may not make perfect sense initially, but rest assured, everything aligns as you progress.
Cover photo by Andrea_Rotenberg
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