Nithyakalyani Narayanan. V
Mr Prabhjot Singh, an alumnus of the Fairfield Institute of Management and Technology School of Law, is a Content Strategist and Digital Market Specialist. He is currently working as the Senior Business Development Manager at The Magic Factory. He provides information and updates on legal technology, via his weekly newsletter ‘Legal Tech Insights (LTI)’. Here are a few excerpts of his conversation with Desi Kaanoon:
Q1. You are in a specific sector of legal career that is not much explored by other professionals and your career trajectory is quite unconventional. We would like to know about this career span in your own words.
I’m currently working as a Senior Business Development Manager in ‘The Magic Factory’. We cater to all types of industries, we help with their digital marketing strategies, content amplification strategies, social media presence, and whatnot!
There was a time when being a lawyer was just about bare acts, judgments, courts etc., but now there are several paths that one can take to have a promising future in the legal field, there is legal media, there are consulting firms that help law firms with their legal marketing strategies, one can be a legal recruiter, then there is legal technology as well, wherein you can easily work as a legal content strategist and the list goes on and on! But it is quite necessary to explore these paths while being a legal student as it gives you a better exposure as to what role you might pick up for yourself tomorrow.
Q2. Did you aspire to be a part of the traditional litigation/judiciary career in your early law school days or did you always want to choose a path that is different from others?
To be honest, I never wanted to pursue litigation nor did I want to give the judiciary a try. It was like I never had that kick to prepare for both. Since the beginning of my law school journey, I always wanted to be separate from the crowd and explore as much as I can. I wanted to be part of the corporate world, but at that time I did not have clarity with respect to which role or specific niche would work best for me. I won’t deny the fact here that the word “corporate” seemed a lot fancier at that time although the right pathways were still yet to explored.
Here, I would mention the post-covid era, wherein everything turned out to be digital, startups stepped into the market like anything and there were several opportunities that one could even imagine. I took a few courses to upgrade my skills, which turned out to be the best decision of my life thus far. I landed some freelance gigs from companies based in the UAE, the UK, and the US, and then I never looked back again. That was such a great time to work when there wasn’t much stress with semester exams or classes. After a few months, I found myself working with a legal media company, where I used to curate content for their YouTube channel, write content for their website, and do several other tasks. The seven months that I invested there, at the beginning of my law career, right before my graduation, was the perfect reflection of what I’ll be doing in the coming years!
Q3. Can you explain how advancements in legal technology are impacting the practice of law and how it can benefit clients?
Advancements in legal technology have significantly impacted the practice of law in recent years, transforming various aspects of the legal profession. These developments have the potential to benefit both legal professionals and clients in several ways:
- Legal tech tools can automate the creation of legal documents, contracts, and agreements, which can reduce the time and effort required for drafting.
- AI-powered research platforms can quickly search through vast databases of case law and legal documents, helping lawyers find relevant information more efficiently.
- Automation and technology-assisted tasks can reduce the number of billable hours, which potentially lowers the legal costs for clients.
- Adding to the above three points, Data analytics tools also help lawyers predict case outcomes and optimize legal strategies, potentially reducing unnecessary legal expenses.
However, there is a lot to be done for this area to achieve the best results, when used thoughtfully and responsibly, advancements in legal technology have the potential to enhance the practice of law, improve client experiences, and make legal services more accessible and cost-effective.
Q4. What strategies do you recommend for businesses to navigate the complex legal landscape of data privacy and cybersecurity?
There are plenty of strategies: firms can actively identify the data privacy and cybersecurity laws and regulations that apply to your business, both at the national and international levels (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, etc.), conduct a comprehensive inventory of the data your business collects, processes, and stores, implement robust cybersecurity measures, including encryption, access controls, and regular security assessments. Apart from all this, staying updated on legal developments, and conducting regular audits and assessments of data privacy and cybersecurity practices are unbeatable strategies for navigating the legal landscape.
Q5. Can you describe the primary focus and target audience of your newsletter Legal Tech Insights and how it aligns with your legal expertise?
The primary focus of my newsletter, i.e., Legal Tech Insights is to update the recent happenings around legal tech, make people aware of how they can best leverage this technology, and make their legal work a lot easier than indulging in extensive paperwork that takes a lot of their crucial time.
Talking about the target audience, they can be you or me, or people who belong to the legal community, then there are law firms and general counsels. I’ve noted that even the legal tech companies find this as a great deal. If LTI’s editions can be used for their social media presence and enhance their brand’s value in the market.
As to how it aligns with my expertise, even though legal tech was never my forte, I LTI last year, with the only idea that the concept of legal tech is still new in India, and there needs to be a lot of awareness regarding this so that we can advance ourselves in this domain. It’s been more than a year now, and I’m working for the same mission.
Q6. What emerging legal technology trends do you foresee shortly, and how might they impact businesses and individuals?
2022-23 has already been a rewarding year with a pool of startups in the legal tech space, and in the coming times, we are fortunate enough to discover brilliant trends in the legal tech industry.
AI and machine learning technologies are being used to automate various legal processes such as document review, contract analysis, and legal research. As these technologies improve, they can increase the efficiency and accuracy of legal tasks, reducing costs for businesses and potentially improving access to legal services for individuals.
As we know, legal chatbots and virtual assistants are providing basic legal information, answering FAQs, and improving access to legal information and services. As digital data continues to grow, e-discovery tools that use AI and machine learning will also become more critical for lawyers and businesses to efficiently search, review, and manage electronic evidence in litigation. Additionally, regulatory bodies will likely play a role in shaping the legal tech landscape through the introduction of new rules and regulations.
Q7.Are there specific legal best practices for email marketing and outreach campaigns that can help businesses avoid litigation and regulatory penalties?
Well yes, Nithya. As far as I know, email marketing is subject to various laws and regulations, the most significant of which is the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States. Adhering to these best practices will not only help you stay compliant with the law but also maintain a positive reputation and build trust with your recipients.
Few practices that I would like to share here with the readers: –
- Only send emails to individuals who have given you explicit consent to receive marketing emails. This is often referred to as “opt-in” consent.
- Honour unsubscribe requests promptly, ideally within 10 business days, as required by the CAN-SPAM Act.
- Identify your business as the sender of the email.
- Always include a link to your privacy policy, where recipients can find information about how their data is collected, used, and protected.
- If you send emails internationally, be aware of and comply with relevant international data protection laws, such as the GDPR for European recipients.
It is significant to note here that non-compliance with email marketing laws can lead to fines and damage your brand’s reputation. Building a culture of compliance within your organization is key to maintaining trust with your audience and avoiding legal issues.
Q8. Can you explain the legal implications of email marketing, particularly in terms of compliance with anti-spam laws and data privacy regulations?
Certainly! As said earlier, the CAN-SPAM Act is a U.S. federal law that sets rules for commercial email messages. Then there is the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) on information privacy in the European Union and the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) for businesses collecting personal information from California residents.
However, the best practices in the case of email marketing are less legal, and more in general to follow, such as implementing a clear and easily accessible unsubscribe/opt-out mechanism in every marketing email, Maintaining a record of consent, and regularly updating your mailing list, Using transparent and accurate subject lines and sender information and training the staff about compliance and ensure they understand the rules.
Q 9. Being a professional with years of experience in legal media and content writing, what is the most exciting part that keeps you moving?
Content writing is not something that I just started focusing on as a skill or to earn, of course, it was in second place. In the first place, it’s been always about the writings or poems that encouraged me to explore the professional aspects of content as well. Writing content should be a habit in the first place. With content, anyone can portray their emotions better, subsequently after a while, an experiment of shifting the same to the professional horizon is good as well. The good part is that there is no probability of failing!
Coming to the media part, it started more about dropping off my camera shyness, curating content for the company, and getting fully into the field of content writing. I did not know that someday it would become my passion, to be on the camera, talk with people around the globe, share insights, etc.
Q10. What advice do you give to freshers and law students who are interested in building a career in the field of legal media and content strategy?
One needs to stay updated with the news regularly, they must have this habit of reading, not just the news, but reading in general. They would eventually figure out the industry that interests them the most, it can be fin-tech, med-tech, or other fields. Then, they can focus on reaching out to the startups with their services which might include content writing, research, contracts etc. While there is no perfect roadmap and one needs to figure out things on their own, networking is easily the most important skill to have in the present times!
At last, I would just end with this line that keeps me motivated 24×7, “NEVER FOLD, NEVER BACK DOWN”.