Students Pitch Innovative Ideas in Legal Tech Startup Course
As technology revolutionizes the legal industry鈥攁 trend that has gathered steam during the pandemic鈥攁n innovative UC Law SF collaboration is connecting students with Silicon Valley companies at the forefront.
Professor and Director of Applied Innovation Alice Armitage offers 鈥淏uilding a Legal Tech Startup,鈥 a course in which upper-level students learn design thinking and work in teams to innovate within the legal industry. Students are required to develop a startup idea and pitch it to a group of judges during a at the end of the semester.
In that process, students often receive mentorship from entrepreneurs in UC Law SF鈥 unique accelerator program, which of legal tech startups in Spring 2021. The fledgling companies in the accelerator are focused on, among other things, helping consumers navigate the small claims process, automating the collection and consolidation of texts and emails between two people for collecting evidence, or providing a cybersecurity tool that law firms can use to protect their client files.
At the end of the semester, on the same day the students pitch their startup ideas, the startup entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to potential investors in an event known as . Both these April 21 events are open to the public.
Professor Alice Armitage hosting Demo Day in 2019
鈥淚t鈥檚 been very exciting. Students are exposed to the entrepreneurial mindset. If you鈥檙e forced to think like an entrepreneur for 13 weeks you will be a much better startup lawyer,鈥 Armitage said. 鈥淪tudents learn how to create a presentation and learn to think on their feet. It鈥檚 unique and something law schools should be doing to make legal education more practical.鈥
Mohammed Rashik, Class of 2020, is already turning a startup idea into reality thanks to the connections he made at UC Law SF. Armitage introduced him to the person who would be his co-founder. Their startup uses its proprietary technology to comb through consumer complaints to look for patterns of harm and corporate misbehavior. Prominent class action firms have used the new platform to file four lawsuits so far, with another 25 in the investigation stage. The startup receives a percentage of any attorneys鈥 fees in return.
鈥淭he lessons I learned during the class were invaluable,鈥 Rashik said. 鈥淓verything was action based 鈥 going out and doing customer development, interviewing potential customers, doing the real work of startup. That鈥檚 pretty different from what you learn in law school.鈥
At an accelerator event a few months ago, Rashik met another person who is not only investing in the startup but also bringing complex litigation experience to assist with operations.
Both the course and the accelerator are hosted by , an initiative whose mission is to 鈥減repare business-savvy lawyers who will shape the future of the legal profession.鈥 LexLab also develops law and technology curricula and organizes public events addressing timely topics. For example, LexLab has organized panel discussions on California鈥檚 new privacy law, the spread of deepfakes, and the State Bar of California鈥檚 Access Through Innovation of Legal Services Task Force.
As Chancellor and Dean David Faigman explained in a , the legal industry is changing rapidly and 鈥渓egal education really needs to anticipate that, become part of that, and to some extent really be at the vanguard of where law practice is going.鈥
LexLab is also building a pipeline of talent from the law school to the technology industry, Director Drew Amerson said, drawing on the network of UC Law SF alumni living in the Bay Area and an advisory board made up of alumni who work in legal tech. The collaboration not only assists startup founders such as Rashik, but also creates opportunities for students to find internships with companies such as Glassdoor and DocuSign.
鈥淎lice is leading the way,鈥 Amerson said. 鈥淥ur students don鈥檛 have access to this anywhere else. Where they can make those connections, that鈥檚 where the real magic happens.鈥