Paul Levy, Senior Consultant at Jameson Legal Tech, shared his candid view on how legal careers are evolving beyond the traditional lawyer track. Drawing on years of experience placing talent across law firms, in-house teams, and legal tech vendors, Levy mapped out where the opportunities are – and what skills today’s lawyers and law students really need.

From sales to a legal tech specialist

Levy’s journey into legal started in 2008 with Practical Law Company, which was later acquired by Thomson Reuters. He then moved to Reed Elsevier, working with firms from small practices through to Magic Circle and Silver Circle outfits. Despite their differences in size and prestige, Levy noticed a consistent pattern: the pain points and buying needs of law firms were remarkably similar.

Today, Levy sits at the intersection of law and technology. He supports law firm innovation teams, in-house legal operations, and legal tech vendors, helping them hire people who can make legal services more efficient, reduce manual drudgery, and improve client delivery. His remit spans sales, customer success, technical specialists, and product marketing – all within the legal tech ecosystem.

Beyond “vanilla lawyer”: a wider career landscape

Gannon framed the discussion against a backdrop of global legal tech events and a growing ecosystem of founders, investors, and innovation specialists. The message was clear: there has never been a broader range of roles for people with legal training.

Levy regularly speaks to law students and junior lawyers who have realised that partnership is not their long-term goal. Many are anxious about what comes next if they step off the traditional track. His answer is emphatic: a law degree – or even a few years in practice – is a powerful springboard into a host of alternative roles in law firms, in-house teams, and software vendors.

Legal tech companies, in particular, are actively seeking people who understand how law works in practice: how contracts are structured, what matters in NDAs or share purchase agreements, where risk sits, and how clients think. Legal literacy is now a commercial asset, not a dead end if you do not want to stay in fee-earning.

The skills that really matter

While qualifications can help, Levy stressed that many of the core skills needed for alternative legal careers are behavioural rather than purely academic.

Key capabilities include:

• Curiosity – especially about how things work, why processes are designed the way they are, and how they might be improved.
• Stakeholder engagement and management – bringing along time-poor, often tech-resistant lawyers who are used to doing things “the way we’ve always done it”.
• Communication and translation – acting as a conduit between technical teams and non-technical users, turning complex functionality into clear benefits.

Some of this, Levy suggested, is innate: people who naturally enjoy engaging others and asking “why?” are well suited to innovation roles.

On the more formal side, project management skills are increasingly valuable. Methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma, Agile, and waterfall provide structure for implementing new tools and processes. As law firms and in-house teams take on more implementation and transformation projects, those credentials help professionals operate with greater clarity and credibility.

AI, prompt engineering, and “playing” with tools

Unsurprisingly, AI loomed large. Roles that did not exist a few years ago are emerging in response to large language models and AI-enabled products. Levy expects knowledge of AI, and especially comfort with prompt engineering and LLM-based workflows, to become a meaningful differentiator.

Both highlighted a gap between formal training and real capability. You can be taught prompts in a classroom, but the real learning comes from simply playing with tools like ChatGPT or Copilot, experimenting with use cases, and understanding where AI adds value.

For those eyeing roles in legal ops, innovation, or vendors, familiarity with mainstream AI tools – and the ability to imagine practical, repeatable use cases – will be a strong advantage.

Innovation in the client pitch and the law firm model

One of the most visible shifts Levy sees is how law firms present themselves to clients. In the past, firms would pitch with senior partners, perhaps a couple of associates, and sometimes a BD lead – plus the promise of extra bodies “thrown in” on a deal or matter.

Now, progressive firms are bringing innovation specialists into client pitches and panel reviews. General counsel are asking, “How are you different from your competitors?” beyond pure legal expertise. Innovation and digital transformation professionals are increasingly asked to talk about document automation, bespoke apps (for example, built in Microsoft Power Apps), and other tech-enabled solutions that tangibly improve client service.

This makes innovation roles more client-facing and strategically significant. For the individuals, it’s a chance to influence external work, not just internal processes. For firms, it is rapidly becoming a differentiator when mandates are awarded.

AI, juniors, and the billable hour

An audience question raised a familiar anxiety: are AI tools going to hollow out junior lawyer roles?

Levy’s view is that AI will not remove the need for human lawyers – at least not for many years. Instead, tools such as contract review platforms that can scan hundreds of documents in minutes should act as a support, giving lawyers an 80% head start and freeing up time for higher-value client work.

However, he acknowledged the tension with the billable hour. One legal technologist he spoke to reported pushback from associates worried that automation would leave them short on billable targets. This reveals an “inefficiency mentality” embedded in the traditional law firm model: if value is measured purely in hours, efficiency can feel threatening.

Gannon referenced emerging ideas such as an “AI hour” – a conceptual successor to the billable hour – as the profession wrestles with how to price AI-enabled work. For now, firms are largely talking about efficiency rather than passing savings directly to clients, but the debate has clearly begun.

Talent flows and the value of legal experience

Levy sees movement in multiple directions. Lawyers from all PQE levels – newly qualified, mid-level, and beyond – are exploring pivots into innovation, legal ops, and vendor-side roles. Those who succeed tend to be comfortable stepping away from fee-earning status and embracing a different career identity.

At the same time, professionals from other industries with strong digital transformation credentials (automotive, defence, airlines, and more) are eyeing the legal sector. Their lack of “this is how we’ve always done it” thinking can be a strength, allowing them to question assumptions and import proven change frameworks.

For law firms, this raises a talent challenge. Suppose they do not budget properly to retain lawyers who want to move into business services and innovation. In that case, they risk losing people who understand both law and their internal culture – often to consulting firms or legal tech vendors willing to pay more.

Key takeaways

• A law degree is a launchpad, not a life sentence to traditional practice. There are thriving careers in innovation, legal ops, and vendor-side roles that keep you close to the law.
• Curiosity, stakeholder management, and the ability to translate between tech and non-tech audiences are as important as formal qualifications.
• Project management skills and hands-on familiarity with AI tools and prompt engineering are rapidly becoming core capabilities for alternative legal careers.
• Law firms are starting to put innovation specialists at the heart of client pitches, using technology as a differentiator rather than an afterthought.
• The billable hour model is under quiet pressure from AI-driven efficiency, and the profession will need new ways to define and price value.
• For anyone unhappy with the traditional lawyer track, Levy’s closing message was simple: There is a myriad of options. The legal ecosystem has never been more open to alternative careers.