A decade back, one would have not imagined how studying BTech with LLB would be helpful, but in the last few years the integrated BTech-LLB programme has found a niche, says Dr Vijay Kumar Singh
Technology is the future. There is no sector which remains untouched from the influence of technology and the present pandemic has accelerated the pace of this influence. In our rapidly changing global economy, critical thinkers who have the confidence and flexibility to continually learn new skills are in high demand. Educational experts predict that people with multidisciplinary skills would be greatly in demand.
The New Education Policy also emphasizes on interdisciplinary thinking, discussion, debate, research and innovation at the centrality of the guidance on professional education. Future of technical education is also contemplated towards multidisciplinary approach so that educational institutions and programmes and have a renewed focus on opportunities to engage deeply with other disciplines.
Today there is an increasing demand for legal professionals who are well-versed with the concepts of engineering, in particular in the cutting-edge areas that are fast gaining prominence, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3-D machining, big data analysis, and machine learning. Legal Industryitself is becoming technology and data driven thereby requiringnew skillset.
Legal services delivery is evolving and requires new skillsets that include strategic planning, data analytics, technology support, knowledge management, and other competencies not presently taught at most law schools.
A decade ago, one would have not imagined how studying BTech with LLB would be helpful, but in the last few years the integrated BTech LLB programme has found its niche. It is a unique combination of two professional disciplines wherein a techno-lawyer is created who can understand an engineering contract, draft a patent or defend their company with profound understanding not only as a lawyer but also as a technical person which is a great combination. Technical understanding helps the lawyer to craft a customised legal compliance solutions for the technology companies which are emerging in large numbers due to the future requirements impacted by technological developments.
While a graduate with BTech LLB has several opportunities at their doorsteps both from the technical and legal side, some of the career options exclusive to this specialisation.
Intellectual Property Lawyers: In today’s competitive landscape, commercialisation of IPR is the buzzword. Demand for intellectual property lawyers is high. These lawyers focus on the protection of creative thought, whether it is a patent, design, trademark or copyright. A patent attorney having sound technical knowledge is a boon for a client as he understands the requirements best and takes care of the patent from filing to protecting it from infringement.
IP Solicitor: Intellectual property solicitor or consultant help companies make financial decisions by carefully evaluating the potential and commercial value of a specific project including the visible competition in the market. The information which an IP solicitor may provide can help the client in multiple ways, whether it is protecting their own IPR or avoiding infringing someone else’s IPR. Both these incidents involve a great cost. We have seen several IP related litigations in major sectors like, technology, pharmaceuticals, and also media and entertainment industry.
Cyber Law Consultants: The internet has opened up several opportunities and challenges. There are several dimensions to these opportunities and challenges, some which have now established over a period like electronic contracts, jurisdiction issues, e-commerce relations, cybercrimes, domain name disputes, cyber piracy and cyber defamation. However, new opportunities are emerging in plenty in the new age technologies of future like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IOT), Big Data, and Machine Learning. The future is for digital innovation and law.
Cyber Forensics and Investigation: A new destination for committing crimes is the online medium, which necessitates understanding of cyber forensics and cyber investigations. A technology lawyer is best suited to work on the cyber evidence. Corporate fraud, bankruptcy fraud and banking fraud investigations employ professionals who are well versed with technology and the legal requirements of evidentiary value of an electronic evidence.
Startups: Millennial lawyers with engineering knowledge have founded a number of successful startups and the numbers are growing every day. A brief analysis of data on Startup India website shows how majority of the startups are now emerging in technology space including the areas like Agritech, big data, bitcoin and blockchain, billing and invoicing, business intelligence, clean tech, crowd funding, cyber security, digital media professionals, e-education, electronics and instrumentation, and many more. Venturing out as an entrepreneur armed with techno-legal knowledge would definitely provide an edge to the evangelist.
The writer is Dean, School of Law, UPES
