The future world of legal services

In this special episode we are joined by Tamara Box.  Tamara is a partner, and Head of Structured Finance at global law firm Reed Smith and, in the immediate past, was the firm’s Managing Partner for Europe and the Middle East.  We “horizon scan” with Tamara on how she sees the legal services sector changing in the coming years, and what that means for the careers, skills and opportunities for those entering the sector.  In this episode, Tamara talks about her own career path, the importance of being open to exploring opportunities, “being brave” and not expecting that one’s career will develop in a linear way.  Tamara also highlights how legal education and training gives a great set of foundational skills to pivot into many career paths – and how more diversity of skill-set and mind-set will be critical to deliver on client service needs in the future.  For those entering the sector, Tamara sets out the breadth of opportunities across the private, public and non-for profit sectors – and above all how key skill-sets for students to focus on developing are those of customer service, communication and writing skills too, which will be critical for building great professional connections and opening up opportunities.

Actions and resources for listeners: 
·       Check this blog by Jordan Furlong for how the legal sector may look (“if we’re lucky”) in 2033. 
·       Look at this list of 7 client/customer service skills.  Which 1 skill could you develop more in the coming 6 months?