What Law routes deal with the internet and technology?
I'm interested in becoming a solicitor.
Reply 1
Original post
by turbiditeI'm interested in becoming a solicitor.
Intellectual property (IP) deals with all aspects of technology. There are also commercial contract cases that relate to IT eg computer contract cases.
But you will likely have to deal with wider subject matter in your career, esp. in the early days. It’s difficult to limit yourself to one particular area. And who’s, you might other areas interesting!
Reply 2
As noted above, it is best to keep an open mind as to which area of legal practice you may wish to work in, because your ideas are likely to develop as you study.
Any law firm which has clients engaged in IT or manufacturing will be involved in technology-related work. It is commonplace for lawyers working in IP to have degrees in STEM subjects, and such a degree is mandatory if you wish to qualify as a Patent Attorney. The senior IP Judge in the High Court, Mr Justice Mellor, has degrees in Engineering and in Law.
Any law firm which has clients engaged in IT or manufacturing will be involved in technology-related work. It is commonplace for lawyers working in IP to have degrees in STEM subjects, and such a degree is mandatory if you wish to qualify as a Patent Attorney. The senior IP Judge in the High Court, Mr Justice Mellor, has degrees in Engineering and in Law.
Reply 3
Original post
by turbiditeI'm interested in becoming a solicitor.
If you're interested in law related to the internet and tech as a future solicitor, there are several routes to explore:
•
Technology Law – Covers AI, digital platforms, and emerging tech regulations.
•
Intellectual Property (IP) Law – Focuses on protecting digital content, patents, and trademarks.
•
Cyber Law & Data Protection – Deals with cybercrime, data breaches, and GDPR compliance.
•
Media & Entertainment Law – Covers digital media, streaming, and online defamation.
•
E-commerce & Consumer Protection – Focuses on online business regulations and consumer rights.
Reply 4
12
Original post
by UniofLaw StudentHey!
If you're interested in law related to the internet and tech as a future solicitor, there are several routes to explore:Look for firms with strong TMT (Technology, Media & Telecommunications) practice areas, as many offer training in these fields. Hope that helps!
If you're interested in law related to the internet and tech as a future solicitor, there are several routes to explore:
•
Technology Law – Covers AI, digital platforms, and emerging tech regulations.
•
Intellectual Property (IP) Law – Focuses on protecting digital content, patents, and trademarks.
•
Cyber Law & Data Protection – Deals with cybercrime, data breaches, and GDPR compliance.
•
Media & Entertainment Law – Covers digital media, streaming, and online defamation.
•
E-commerce & Consumer Protection – Focuses on online business regulations and consumer rights.
Thank you very much for this succinct response. Would these routes be possible with just a Law degree before going into further training, or would you need a different degree before training?
(edited 10 months ago)
Reply 5
14
Original post
by turbiditeThank you very much for this succinct response. Would these routes be possible with just a Law degree before going into further training, or would you need a different degree before training?
Generally, a Law degree will be sufficient for most types of tech-related legal practices (e.g. "soft" IP, tech transactions, cyber etc) and there will be many lawyers in those areas who studied a non-law degree.
The exception, as @Stiffy Byng notes, is what we tend to call "hard" IP: which is generally the realm of patents. In contentious and non-contentious patent work, it is very common to see lawyers with degrees in STEM related subjects given the highly technical nature of the subject matter.
It is worth taking a look at the profiles of the partners at some of the leading IP/TMT firms (Bristows, Bird & Bird, CMS etc) to get a feel for their backgrounds. Now, they will have qualified 15/20+ years ago so what worked for them doesn't necessarily mean that those firms seek the same educational backgrounds now but it will be helpful.
Generally, commercial lawyers will hold themselves out as having (i) a practice area expertise e.g. litigation, banking, IP, M&A etc and (ii) a sector expertise e.g. technology, energy/resources, financial services, infrastructure etc. So, when we look at technology (being the sector), there are many practice areas which will touch that. You might be an IP disputes lawyer protecting your client's trademarks. You could be a corporate lawyer working on M&A deals for software companies. You could be a cyber/data protection expert acting for clients who have suffered a major cyber attack. A venture capital lawyer specialising in the seed funding for tech start-ups. A commercial lawyer working on major tech outsourcing projects for international banks. The list goes on!
Reply 6
12
Thank you for all the responses!
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Legal Technology Career?
- what will joint honours degree lead to
- Unsure what to do with my current A-Level subjects.
- Ultra-Specific Careers Advice: What qualifications do I need for Cyberlaw?
- Music Performance or Music Tech
- Law
- intellectual property law - sqe or btc?
- Uni courses
- EPQ- is this a good topic for a dissertation
- Humanities degree at decent RG uni or law at a mediocre uni?
- Like Grand Designs? These uni courses might be worth a look
- do law firms care if you got a 5 in gcse maths
- Law business or finance
- Law or Geography degree then conversion course?
- Is Law really worth it??
- ATAS serious question
- What to study at uni advice and general a level tips
- Starting PGDL at 48....
- Life of young people before the internet
- Conversion from History to Law- Top law firms??
Latest
Trending
Last reply 4 days ago
CPS Pupillage/Legal Trainee Scheme (Oct 2026 Start!)Last reply 4 months ago
Help needed with best options for postgraduate law courses/Master'sLast reply 6 months ago
Advice on realistic chambers to target for pupillageArticles for you
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
