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06 October 2020 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe | Photo Supplied
Leah Molatseli is the founder of Lenoma Legal, a legal technology company which specialise in commercial and labour matters for small and medium businesses.
Legal technology and innovation specialist and member of the University of the Free State Council, Leah Molatseli, tackled the intersection of law and technology in her new book, titled #LegalTech Startups and Innovation. 

As technology continues to revolutionise how traditional industries function, legal tech is no longer a foreign concept in the country’s current legal market. The technological boom that has occurred over the past few decades has reshaped many industries. Molatseli said her book is a bridge in the knowledge gap; it is a comprehensive guide for using new technologies in order to provide legal services that are not restricted by physical barriers. 

Molatseli said in her career as a lawyer, she has witnessed first-hand the need for ordinary citizens to gain greater access to justice.  This has led her to adopt new technology that works for the client by cutting costs, improving efficiency, and reaching people more effectively. In 2017, she co-founded Lenoma Legal, a legal tech start-up that provides legal services virtually. 

“While a digital divide still exists, mobile penetration has increased drastically in the past few years, making it much easier to provide legal help from anywhere. My hope is that this book will open up different avenues for law firms, entrepreneurial people who want to innovate within the legal space, and Law students to start thinking differently about how they can shape their careers.”

Technology pivotal to legal industry

Molatseli said she decided at the beginning of 2020 to put the knowledge she gained into a book. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit South Africa, it quickly became apparent that the legal profession had to seek alternative ways to carry out its functions, and the pivotal role that technology has played made the book a timely release. 

“The pandemic has cemented the need for access from anywhere in the world. For me, it’s about access. I believe that access to legal services is a basic human right, and legal tech and innovation plays a huge role in making that happen,” she said. 

Molatseli said #Legaltech Startups and Innovation is a guide that will equip other forward-thinking practitioners to do exactly the same. She said as technology continued to advance, it is becoming easier for anyone within the legal world to create and build solutions.

Book shines light on new avenues in law

“For many years we’ve been made to think that legal careers are linear; get your degree and go work in a law firm, but it’s no longer like that. There are so many avenues open to people within the law industry, and the moment you become aware of this, you can take charge of your career. If we can integrate this type of thinking, the opportunities are endless. This book can drastically change how we do things and how we approach law.”

The book is available for ordering from: https://juta.co.za/catalogue/legaltech-startups-and-innovation_28319/. If you would like to get more information on the book, follow Leah Molatseli on Twitter at @leahmolatseli. 

News Archive

RC members of Armentum not expelled from residence
2009-05-29

According to a memorandum of agreement that was concluded between the University of the Free State (UFS) and the Residence Committee (RC), the Senior Bond Committee and seniors of the Armentum Residence, the parties involved agreed, among others, that the RC members of this residence would not be expelled from the residence.

This follows an incident during which a first-year student from Armentum, Alex Marais, was injured because of alleged initiation and admitted to the Bloemfontein Medi-Clinic.

According to the agreement, the RC members will resign from their positions and not make themselves available for the next RC election, with the exception of Mr M.J. Pretorius, the RC member for Rag. He will stay on as unelected member of the interim RC. The UFS undertook to pay the RC that is stepping down their honorariums honorariums in August.

The UFS also gave permission to the Residence Head of Armentum, Adv. Bradley Smith, to appoint an interim RC for the remaining period of office of the current RC.

The Senior Bond must also undertake to submit the current rules of the Senior Bond Committee to the Acting Rector, Prof. Teuns Verschoor, before 1 June 2009. The Senior Bond Committee undertakes to comply strictly with these rules, also during Senior Bond activities.

In addition the Senior Bond Committee and the current Residence Committee must submit the following information to Prof. Verschoor before the reopening of the UFS for the second semester :
- The current orientation practices with regard to first-year students.
- Proposals on how the practices can be adjusted to render them enforceable within humane, reasonable, fair and humanitarian limits in order to implement and comply with the objectives of orientation, the exercising of control and the laying down of rules.

The compensating fine that was levied against the tuition fees accounts of senior students of Armentum, which would have been used to contribute to the medical costs of Alex Marais, is now cancelled.

This settlement is final and the parties will not lay any claims against each other as a result of this incident in future.

Media Release:
Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
Email: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
29 May 2009

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