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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

State of our campuses: UFS closes campuses until Friday 28 October 2016 to readjust academic programme
2016-10-13

The senior leadership of the University of the Free State (UFS) has carefully analysed all the risks facing the university in the current national crisis in higher education, which includes the possibility of losing the academic year. The university management has been engaged in back-to-back meetings with the student leadership, South African Police Service (SAPS), and other stakeholders over the past two days in an attempt to ensure the safety of all parties, and normalise the academic functioning of the UFS.  Unfortunately, we have been unable to arrive at an agreement about the resumption of the academic year regardless of the timing of the government response to students’ demands. This is further complicated by the fact that the university has received notice of intention of an  interdict to reopen with immediate effect.

Taking all of this into account, the senior leadership of the UFS has decided as follows:

  1. The UFS will not be shutting down for the remainder of 2016. The Bloemfontein and South Campuses will, however, be shutting down from Thursday 13 October 2016 until Friday 28 October 2016. These two weeks will be used for crucial and complex arrangements to be put in place to readjust the academic calendar and ensure that all students can complete their studies.
  2. The academic arrangements are focused on organising alternative modes of delivery of our programmes to support student learning. Academics will be working on readjusting their course materials for this purpose.
  3. The Bloemfontein Campus and the South Campuses will be closed for undergraduate and honours students. Administrative and academic staff will be working, as well as master's and doctoral students.
  4. Students in residence will have to vacate their rooms by 12:00 on Saturday 15 October 2016. Students who need help in this regard must please contact +27 51 401 2001 or send an email to hotline@ufs.ac.za.
  5. Arrangements will be made to accommodate international, master's, and doctoral students.
  6. The specific information about academic programmes will be communicated to students by their respective faculties as it becomes available.

The senior leadership wants to restate its commitment to free education as well as its willingness to stand together with students and other public universities to impress on government the urgency to decide on a time frame for the roll-out of free higher education for the poor and missing middle. During these two weeks the UFS will meet with the leadership of Universities South Africa to coordinate collective action in this regard.

 Consistent with this commitment the UFS leadership will roll out a series of activities to inform and educate students and the general public on different models and experiences of providing free higher education. 

 The UFS is deeply concerned about the possible securitisation of our campus as a way of solving this crisis.

 The UFS condemns in the strongest terms violence as a methodology to achieve ends in the context of a democratic state.We are, as always, committed to providing quality education and a conducive environment for learning.

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