“Upskilling” as an Essential for Future Legal Practitioners

Abstract

In recent times, the legal landscape has undergone a gradual transformation to adeptly navigate increasingly complex societal realities. Legal practitioners, fundamental for the just functioning of society, must adapt to new societal and technological challenges that pose unprecedented legal problems. This article underscores the urgent and inevitable need for upskilling of legal professionals, to bridge the gap between traditional expertise and emerging legal issues. As contemporary problems demand contemporary solutions, age-old foundations should be strengthened and novel innovative tools and techniques must be harnessed. This article begins by examining the evolving role of legal practitioners, highlighting the shift from traditional court-room advocacy to diverse legal tasks that extend beyond court rooms. It then explores the growing importance of ‘T-Shaped lawyers’ who combine rich legal knowledge with interdisciplinary expertise in areas such as artificial intelligence and technology. Furthermore, the article concludes by touching upon and highlighting certain selected facets of ‘upskilling’ such as use of artificial intelligence, legal research, contractual analysis, linguistic skills and commercial awareness, which are imperative tools for survival in the modern-day legal sphere.