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Diversity in LegalTech

LegalTech Talks delivered live 4th March 2021 at 15:00 – 16:00 (GMT)

This virtual roundtable featured influential professionals from the world of legal technology, and advocates of DELTAS – an ethical group dedicated to promoting diversity and ethics in legal technology and security. During this open debate the panel explored the progress made, and employment barriers that remain within legal technology and cyber security, whilst addressing the technical changes afoot within law firms right now.

📌 Diversity in the workplace – recruiting from an increasingly limited pool of candidates

📌 The effect of the tech revolution on minority students and STEM uptake in schools

📌 Diversity has taken steps backwards during the pandemic, cannot continue ‘where we left off’

📌 The controversial ‘Vaccine Passport’ and the challenges it may bring to firms.


Speakers

David Fazakerley – In-House Legal CIO, CTS (Chair)

David has been in Legal IT for the last 15 years, previously as Chief Information Officer at MW Solicitors, during which time he has demonstrated his proficiency in driving business transformation, delivering business revenue growth and new client services, reducing operating costs, driving profitability and facilitating rapid growth.

Joining CTS in July 2020, as the company’s In-House Legal Chief Information Officer, David is responsible for assisting CTS in further driving alignment of their service offerings to the unique needs of the legal sector, and in helping to deliver a superior client experience to CTS’ many law firm clients.


Yosr Hamza, Director, Legal Counsel | Middle East, Gartner

Yosr is a bilingual multi-award winning experienced legal counsel with both a private practice and in-house background, and a certified In-house Counsel (ICC) by the Association of Corporate Counsel.

During her career, Yosr held various positions in global private practice international law firms in the region allowing her to gain significant regional experience in contracts, commercial, corporate, compliance, employment and a wide range of general legal areas. She moved in-house , played  a key part in establishing and is currently managing the legal and compliance team in the Middle East in Gartner (the world’s leading research and advisory company) — a region that remains one of the top performing regions globally and continues to track a double digit sales growth by maintaining a culture of high performance and accountability. Embracing Gartner’s Principles of Independence and Objectivity, Yosr also supports the Gartner Office of the Ombudsman in the Middle East, a team that is established to openly and assertively address issues of analytical independence, accuracy and integrity. With such experience, she also has broad experience in legal and risk management, corporate governance and compliance, and crisis management. Yosr is passionate about mentorship, sponsorship, diversity equity & inclusion, women empowerment and creating opportunities for minorities, people of color, women and young students to thrive throughout their legal career journey.


Shilpa Bhandarkar, CEO, Nakhoda

Shilpa Bhandarkar is the CEO of Nakhoda, a Linklaters-backed technology start-up that works closely alongside Linklaters’ lawyers and clients to design bespoke technology solutions for the practice of law. Our flagship product, ISDA Create, is a document automation and digital negotiation platform built in collaboration with our client International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) to automate and streamline high volumes of sensitive and complex contractual negotiations in the derivatives industry.

Shilpa started her career as a project finance lawyer but her interest in technology and entrepreneurship led her to found, build and sell a mobile app company as well as grow a legaltech start-up before re-joining Linklaters in 2018 as the Global Head of Innovation. She sits on the firm’s Innovation Steering Group which is responsible for the firm’s strategic approach to Innovation and Efficiency. Previous roles at Linklaters include being a founding member of the Linklaters India Group, COO for the India Practice and COO for the Africa practice.

She is listed as a leading ‘Disruptor’ in The Lawyer Hot 100, 2019 and an ‘Individual winner’ of the ‘TechWomen100 Awards, 2018’. She is a mentor on the LegalGeek Women in LawTech programme.


Mabel Harvey, IT Director, Fieldfisher  

Mabel joined Fieldfisher more than 20 years ago as an IT manager, responsible for easing the change to desktop computers for every partner. She became IT director three years ago and now heads a team of around 40 technicians across the firm’s UK and international offices. Her main focus is successfully transforming the technology of a firm expanding into new locations and introducing new systems to support the growing business.

She believes in concentrating on helping people master the processes that allow them to perform at their best and to deliver optimum efficiency to the client.

 

 


Alicia Alina, Chief People Officer, Slater and Gordon 

Alicia is the Chief People Officer at Slater and Gordon Lawyers & is the Executive lead over our People & Culture function.

Her main focus is on developing the Group wide People agenda with strategic oversight over Human Resources, organisational change and design, talent development & resource planning. This includes leading change management across the Group combined with responsibility for internal and external communication for the business brand and values.

Alicia has worked as a business leader for a number of years with operational responsibility over a number of business areas.

Alicia is involved in parliamentary lobbying activities to safeguard consumer rights and access to justice.

She is an experienced public speaker, contributes to newspaper and magazine articles and is interviewed regularly on radio and all major television channels.


Sponsor

DELTAS was created by a group who are passionate about creating change within the legal IT community.

Over the last thirty years, despite tremendous progress being made in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion within our everyday lives, a vast portion of professionals don’t believe that this is the case within the Legal IT community. Whether it be through media bias, education, personal experiences or individual expectations, diversity is still a challenge and one that we are moving to change.

There mission of DELTAS is to promote and encourage inclusiveness and diversity in all aspects of Information Technology and Security whilst maintaining standards of excellence, but with particular reference to the LegalTech sector.

www.deltassociety.com.