McCann FitzGerald sponsors Ireland’s first-ever third-level legal tech course at University of Limerick

Barry Devereux

From spring 2019, students will learn how to use the Neota Logic System, a no-code development platform for the automation of professional services.

Neota Logic and McCann FitzGerald entered an agreement last year to create AI-driven legal services solutions for the firm’s clients.

Sinead Eaton, commercial and company law lecturer at the University of Limerick, said: “We’re delighted to partner with Neota Logic and McCann FitzGerald. Our aim is to provide our students with a progressive curriculum that will develop their skills and prepare them for the modern workplace. The introduction of this module, a first in Ireland, is testament to that commitment and will provide our law graduates with the skills they need to pursue careers in an ever-evolving industry.”

With Neota Logic as technology provider and McCann FitzGerald as sponsor, students will learn to develop solutions, or web applications, that will be built to the specifications of a local organisation acting as “client”. At the end of the semester, the students will aim to have a set of apps ready to be deployed for their “client” to use.

Barry Devereux, managing partner at McCann FitzGerald, said: “The future of law is not solely dependent on legal professionals as we need a variety of backgrounds to continue to drive innovation in our profession. Today’s clients are redefining how they want their legal services to be delivered.

“While legal expertise is still paramount, clients now rightly demand more efficiency, flexibility and innovation. It’s up to us to deliver that and that includes developing the next generation of legal talent to deliver it.”

Maeve Lavelle, director of education for Neota Logic in EMEA, added: “We feel passionately about empowering law students. The future of law is the cohort of students currently pursuing their law degrees or going through their professional training. How can we possibly expect the industry to evolve if it continues to be populated by people being taught the same way as those about to retire?”

The University of Limerick is one of three law schools in Europe, including the University of Manchester and London South Bank University, that will be running modules using the Neota Logic System. The three will join the ranks of over a dozen law schools globally to run legal tech modules with Neota Logic.