Integrating Hackathons and Legal Technology to Prepare Future Legal Professionals: A Pedagogical Reflection

Ma, Alan (2026) Integrating Hackathons and Legal Technology to Prepare Future Legal Professionals: A Pedagogical Reflection. The Law Teacher. ISSN 0306-9400

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Abstract

The accelerating pace of digital transformation in legal practice has revealed a persistent gap between traditional legal education and the competencies required in modern professional environments. This paper reflects on a teaching innovation at Birmingham City University (BCU), where a final-year undergraduate module on Legal Technology was redesigned around a weekly hackathon format. Rather than treating hackathons as isolated competitions, they became the central structure of the module, allowing students to engage with authentic legal design challenges, build digital fluency, and experiment with real-world legal technology tools. Drawing on feedback collected from two academic cohorts, this paper combines questionnaire responses and unsolicited student commentary to examine how learners experienced this pedagogical shift. Many students reported increased confidence when using industry-standard platforms, a deeper understanding of how AI supports legal processes, and a reassessment of their future career trajectories. Through scaffolded instruction and structured teamwork, the hackathon model created an interactive environment that allowed students to connect academic theory with professional practice. While this case study is limited to a single institution, the findings suggest that hackathon-based pedagogy can improve digital readiness, inclusivity, and employability. This paper situates the BCU experience within wider debates on experiential and constructivist learning, concluding with recommendations for embedding hackathon teaching models into legal education.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1080/03069400.2026.2677434
Dates:	Date Event 13 April 2026 Accepted 21 July 2026 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	legal education, hackathon pedagogy, experiential learning, legal technology, curriculum innovation
Subjects:	CAH16 - law > CAH16-01 - law > CAH16-01-01 - law
Divisions:	Law and Social Sciences > Law
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	21 Apr 2026 12:04
Last Modified:	04 Aug 2026 11:55
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16985

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