Harwood Andrews & Deakin Law Students Hackathon Challenges Digital Disruption in the Legal Sector
On Saturday August 19, Harwood Andrews together with Deakin Law Students Society ran a Hackathon, focusing on digital disruption in the legal industry and changing the customer experience in the digital era.
The Hackathon was a first for Harwood Andrews who brought together their technology team along with the firm’s lawyers and Deakin Law students to provide an innovative platform for creative thinking and problem solving for the legal sector.
The event aimed to give Deakin students a rare insight into the challenges facing law firms in today’s digital world.
Harwood Andrews Digital Solutions Manager Dana Lunn stated “We were excited to have the opportunity to combine our legal knowledge with a new generation of thinking. The students were enthusiastic about gaining insight into the internal workings of a law firm and were given a real chance to make a change to the way legal services are offered today.”
Sticking with the theme of digital disruption teams were given a list of topics to chose from, where they were challenged to come up with ideas to redesign and improve the delivery of legal services. The winning pitch was an app to change the way lawyers deliver conveyancing to clients.
Deakin Law student Lauren Solomnson found the experience extremely rewarding. “I loved that each team had a combination of students and lawyers, and everyone's opinions and ideas were treated equally. The mix meant the ideas were not just innovative but practical to today’s legal industry.”
CEO Andrew Barnes sees activities like Saturday’s Hackathon as just one way that the firm can continue to challenge the legal sector norm. “In our everyday practice, it can be hard to find the time or head space to take a step back and re-assess the services we offer. Having events like the Saturday’s Hackathon allows us the space to focus on how we can do things better. The combination of internal and external knowledge and ideas is invaluable.”
Harwood Andrews focus on innovation has received national recognition with the firm being named Regional Law Firm of the Year in both the Lawyers Weekly Australia and Australasian Law Awards in 2016 and 2017. A recognition received largely due to the firm's innovative practices.
Harwood Andrews has been a sponsor of the Deakin Law Students Society for over ten years and has a close relationship with the university and the students in the Geelong region who often receive work experience in the firm.
For further information please contact:
Andrew Barnes
CEO
T 03 9611 0153
E abarnes@ha.legal