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The Rhodes University Law Faculty recently kicked off its 2021 academic year by celebrating the success of academic staff and students alike. In a virtual event that was like no other faculty opening; students, staff and some alumni joined in via the comfort of their homes – a sign of the times we live in, where almost all academic activities are facilitated via digital platforms.
For the opening ceremony, the Faculty invited back one of its brightest alumni, Sinal Govender, to speak to students and staff members about her journey in the legal profession. Govender was recently named as one of Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans in the law and justice field. The coveted list celebrates excellent young South Africans’ positive contributions to South African society.
A number of legal commentators and practitioners have described a definitive shift in the legal industry. Specifically, how legal technology and innovation is paving the way for a new age of law. And more importantly, how a shift from a lawyer-centred framework to a customer-centric marketplace is a result of changes in how clients want to “buy” the law.
This shift signals a new way of doing law, a new approach that is now termed NewLaw or Alternative Legal Services. The first element in the shifting legal landscape is the disruptive nature of legal technology and innovation. During the recent Innovation and Tech Fest, participants in the South African alternative legal services sphere described how legal tech has, for many years been considered both a threat and an enhancement to the legal profession.