Bridging the Gap between Legal and Tech in the Public Sector

Why should you choose this course?

Public organisations are governed by complex legal frameworks, have statutory duties as well as regulatory compliance, operational and commercial functions.

The legal support requirements list across public organisations is extensive and often complex, voluminous, and high value. Even where lawyers themselves are not directly involved, legality as an overarching consideration ought to always be present.

On this course we examine how public sector legal departments can start to develop modern technology requirements to bridge enormous time and spend inefficiencies and alleviate unnecessary legal risks currently experienced, yet often generally accepted, across large organisations.

What is the Course Outcome?

This course begins by focussing on developing a public organisation’s legal technology roadmap with an outline strategy for how to start forming those requirements.

The course then examines the following key areas where legal technology solutions can significantly improve public sector organisation outcomes:

1. Regulated public procurement.

Major public procurements lasting from nine months to a couple of years regularly involve several teams and advisors with a plethora of developing documents and information keeping, market engagement, dialogue with several bidders and impact changes and risk assessments. All these areas are examples where technology can play a much greater role in protecting the contracting authority and procurement itself. Understanding the legal risks and having practical resources to reduce these using the correct technology solutions will be a game changer for major procurements and wider organisations in terms of credibility, challenge vulnerability and budgets. Note also the caselaw on risks to major procurement evaluations if managed incorrectly by reading a good summary of the Energysolutions EU Ltd v Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (2016).

1. Legislation and regulatory work.

Quite often there are thousands of pages of statutory schemes, regulations, other documents that require certain levels of compliance by several parties, such as prime contractors, their supply chains or entire market compliance such as transport, health, social care, housing, education and utilities.

Legislation and regulations change frequently and working in real time to effect change for end users (including the public) will make life for compliance and focus on task delivery so much easier. More recently, as the UK re-establishes its legal position in the world following EU departure, it is also so important to support our UK public sector bodies in achieving the best outcomes for its staff and UK citizens, a key consideration as part of any legal technology roadmap.

1. The Department or Public Body as a whole.

How establishing the right legal technology foundations of each public organisation will significantly improve the quality and efficiency of support provided by their legal departments.

The course includes plenty of opportunities for Q&A using worked examples as a basis for discussion.

What is the agenda?

Part One will look at the outline approach to developing a public sector organisation’s legal technology roadmap.

Part Two will look at the approach to developing legal technology requirements across the following three key areas for Government and the public sector:

- Complex public procurement

- Regulation and legislation; and

- Overall public body operations and functions.

Part Three will consider the next steps for Government and public sector to bring about the opportunity to change the approach to lawyers and technology.

Who is the course leader?

Sophie Newbould is the founder of Newboulds Solicitors (providing legal services to SMEs selling technology to Government and the public sector) and co-founder of the software company Athensys (providing its customers with the world’s leading enterprise platform for complex document content management). Sophie began her career as supporting the PFI Team at Mott MacDonald in 2000, qualified as a business lawyer in 2008 and began working on major public technology projects in 2012. Sophie regularly advises Central Government on complex technology disputes and major procurements and has had significant access to the art of the possible across the technology sector during and post her time with PWC. Sophie is now independently providing solutions to big business customers and supporting SMEs sell technology into Government.

Who Should Attend?

This is a unique course for legal, technology and commercial professionals working in Government, the wider public sector and technology providers already selling, or considering selling, to this market.

Currently there are no Q&As for this course. Be the first to ask a question.

Certificate of completion

Digital certificate - Included