Jean-Luc Delli, Innovation.Law, Lawbility, future lawyer skills, entrepreneurial mindset, legal education, law student competitions.

Stephen Turner, the host of Lawyers of Tomorrow interviews Jean-Luc Delli, the founder of Innovation.Law – The Legal Industry Forum, which is promoting discussion and innovation within the legal sector. Jean-Luc is also the Managing Director of Lawbility, which offers practical skills training programs for legal professionals, and a board member of the International Negotiation Competition for Law Students, promoting client consultation, negotiation and other skill sets.

Stephen and Jean-Luc discuss the varied skill sets that future lawyers will need to acquire as the practice of law and the delivery of legal services moves into a more entrepreneurial era where legal professionals will be working with business and marketing professionals, analysts and technology professionals to deliver innovative solutions in a rapidly evolving legal market.

Jean-Luc is a passionate educationalist and believes that there are great opportunities for lawyers in the future. However, they must sit in the driver’s seat and start building the future of the profession now. Stephen and Jean-Luc discuss the necessary entrepreneurial mindset and the strategies and practical steps that law firms will need pursue if they are to build a platform for innovation and execute their plans successfully.

Finally, Jean-Luc and Stephen discuss developments in legal education and the skill sets that future lawyers should now be acquiring - for example teamwork, emotional intelligence and negotiation skills. Unfortunately, in many instances, these skills are not being acquired due to legal education being stuck in a mode of producing young lawyers for a working environment that no longer exists.

Nevertheless, via participation in national and international competitions, law students can get excellent practical experience, for example, in client care and consultation, in negotiation and business and then learn from experts who can give feedback as students negotiate or interact with another teams and attempt to put the law into practice. Jean-Luc is an optimist and sees huge potential in young lawyers so it's up to the legal industry to accept the challenge and prepare them adequately for the new opportunities to come.