This week I attended Legal Tech Talk, Europe’s event for legal transformation. It brought together 4000 legal professionals, tech leaders, and innovators to explore how technology is reshaping the legal sector.

There was a bit of everything: product demos, bold predictions, and strong opinions.

Here are two takeaways I left thinking about:

1. AI Everything and Everywhere.

At the event, I counted over 20 different companies trying to solve the same problem with AI.

Document review, contract generation, and due diligence.

They had different branding but the same solution.

One recurring theme throughout the event was that just because something is hot today, it doesn’t mean it will still be here next year.

Law firms feel the FOMO, sure, but they’re cautious. They don’t roll out new tech just because it’s trendy, especially when existing systems still get the job done.

At the same time, clients expect better, faster, smarter service. So firms have to keep evolving.

Finding the balance between innovation and risk is the real challenge.

🤔 So what does it mean for aspiring lawyers?

It means being tech-aware, not tech-obsessed.

AI is important. It’s reshaping how legal work gets done.

But your focus should be on thinking clearly and commercially. Try to understand why firms are exploring AI in the first place, what problems it’s meant to solve, and how it fits into the bigger picture of delivering legal services.

Tools will change, but the ability to think critically will last.

2. Connections are (only) amplifiers

There’s a lot of noise around networking in the legal industry.

Coffees, LinkedIn posts, events, you name it. It’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind if you’re not doing all of it.

And yes, relationships matter. They can give you insight, exposure, and sometimes a foot in the door.

But connections only amplify value, they don’t replace it.

A strong network won’t carry you through an assessment centre.

A coffee with a partner won’t make up for a lack of clarity, curiosity, or commercial awareness.

Law is still a profession that demands substance.

Who you know might open a door, but how you think is what determines whether you’re invited to stay.

🤔 So what does it mean for aspiring lawyers?

Don’t treat networking as a shortcut.

Just because someone gave you 15 minutes of their time, it doesn’t mean they’ll vouch for you.

Use those conversations to deepen your thinking and sharpen your understanding of the profession, not to bypass the hard parts.

So yes, network. But don’t expect it to do the heavy lifting.

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