A panel of lawyers from Hogan Lovells discuss AI, Blockchain and the future of corporate law
At Legal Cheek’s recent virtual event with Hogan Lovells, tech lawyers James Sharp and Daniel Lee cut through the hype surrounding Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain, offering practical insights into what tech-focused lawyers actually do. Here are our five key takeaways.
The speakers:
• James Sharp, senior associate in the technology team
• Daniel Lee, associate in the technology team
You don’t need to be an expert to be a tech lawyer
Sharp and Lee opened the presentation by tackling common misconceptions. Both entered the firm through traditional legal routes, having studied law rather than computer science, and were keen to dispel the idea that a technical background is essential. While the world of technology can seem daunting to aspiring lawyers, they stressed that curiosity and a willingness to learn are far more important than technical knowledge. “It’s not necessary; it can be helpful, but enthusiasm and a willingness to learn on the job were key for me to get here today.” They emphasised that although a tech background can be useful, learning on the job is far more common in a field that is constantly evolving.
What do tech lawyers actually do?
The team’s work spans both regulatory and commercial matters. They draft and negotiate tech agreements, from outsourcing and software licences to bespoke AI clauses. They support M&A due diligence on IT, IP, and data issues, and help banks and insurers embed regulatory requirements into supplier contracts. A major current theme is operational resilience, which involves ensuring that critical services do not fail and that third-party contracts reflect tougher rules. A recent example is repapering contracts to comply with the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA).
What is Blockchain and why is it so important?
Blockchain remains a murky area for many students, most of whom have little idea what it is or why it matters. Yet it is rapidly becoming central to digital trust across finance, supply chains, and even personal identity. Beyond Bitcoin, distributed ledger technology (DLT) is being trialled by major banks to streamline payments, cut costs, and eliminate intermediaries. Crucially, as Sharp explained, these systems “reduce the single point of failure, which can potentially speed things up and reduce costs.” Put simply, blockchain acts as an automatic way to detect untrustworthy behaviour.
However, decentralisation does not remove the need for legal expertise. On the contrary, in these complex systems lawyers play a vital role. They must navigate regulatory uncertainty, manage competition risks, and tackle difficult questions of liability when no single actor controls the system.
How do tech lawyers navigate uncertainties?
One of the greatest challenges posed by emerging technologies such as blockchain, and more significantly Artificial Intelligence (AI), is how they fit into existing regulatory frameworks. Clients expect answers even when, as Sharp noted, “there’s never really a sure answer to all these things,” which can be “challenging but very rewarding as well.” He emphasised that “innovation does not always fit within the regulatory regime” and by the time the law catches up, the technology has often moved on. This creates a major challenge for lawyers, whose advisory role is designed to mitigate risk and uncertainty.
AI is everywhere, but regulation is struggling to keep up
From recruitment and robo-advisers to compliance checks and legal research tools, AI is already embedded in business. In the European Union, the prescriptive AI Act creates tiers from “prohibited” to “high-risk” systems (most provisions focus on the latter). In the United Kingdom, there is no single AI statute yet; instead, regulators are guided by five principles: safety and robustness, transparency, fairness, accountability, and contestability. Sector regulators like the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are issuing guidance. Copyright and the use of training data remain live battlegrounds. For lawyers, this means grappling with bias, transparency, and data protection — often without clear rules.
How is legal tech changing the junior lawyer role?
Tools like Hogan Lovells’ in-house AI assistant “Craig” can summarise 200-page documents or flag contract risks within seconds. This means fewer repetitive trainee tasks and a faster route to complex, value-adding work, but it also challenges the traditional billable hour model. Aspiring solicitors should build not only legal knowledge but also digital literacy, project management, and collaboration skills with data scientists and technologists. As one speaker noted, soon knowing how to get the best out of AI “won’t just be a bonus—it’ll be expected.” While some may feel hesitant about engaging with AI, it could give them a significant advantage. As Sharp put it, “you can make yourself invaluable by understanding these systems and knowing how you can get the best out of AI. I think that will be really helpful in the future.”
