The dissemination of Generative Artificial Intelligence and the movement towards regulations are expected to accelerate the growth of the global legal technology market. According to Gartner, in the next three years, this sector will be generating around US$ 50 billion worldwide. Keeping an eye on the opportunities this trend provides, lawyers are increasingly seeking to deepen their knowledge in IT and data protection, with a significant number already starting to intensify a career migration, aiming to specialize in key sectors for this ecosystem. According to a study by DeServ Academy, the educational vertical of DeServ Technology & Services, the student portfolio of the institution’s specialization courses already includes 23.1% legal professionals. The number corresponds to 50% of the workforce percentage in the IT field (46.15%).
Bruna Fabiane da Silva, a partner at DeServ Academy and elected late last year as one of the 50 Best Women in Cybersecurity in the Americas by WOMCY (LATAM Women in Cybersecurity), argues that the increasing participation of lawyers in these courses is directly linked to the perception that the corporate world increasingly needs specialized workforce in information security and data protection.
According to her, lawyers can specialize in niche areas within privacy and security, such as risk management, incident response, and data governance. “The growing integration of technology in all sectors means data protection becomes a priority, and lawyers with IT knowledge can stand out,” she states.
The specialist also comments that the consolidation of the General Data Protection Law (LGPD), for example, has exponentially increased the need for companies to hire people who deeply understand all aspects of this legislation, as well as the technologies and best practices for compliance. In this sense, according to her, specialized lawyers in information security stand out in the market for providing legal consulting and compliance services for companies that need to protect sensitive data.
“The expertise in this area enables expanding the range of services, including compliance audits and information security training. Additionally, it is possible to provide advice on creating and revising information security policies, aligning organizations with market best practices. Finally, the legal professional specializing in IT adds to their skills an advanced ability to defend companies in litigation cases related to security breaches”, she concludes.
The executive highlights another area in which the presence of professionals has been growing in the company’s courses. According to the study, participants in the classes who work in the Compliance sector already account for 11.54% of the total. The study reveals that 40.4% of DeServ’s students are in the age group of 35 to 44 years, while another 27% fall in the range between 45 and 54 years. The male audience is predominant, making up 67% of the total. Regarding educational level, all students have completed or are pursuing higher education, with 61.5% being postgraduates, 28.8% graduates, and 9.62% having incomplete or ongoing undergraduate studies.
With a faculty composed of professionals recognized in the market, DeServ Academy specializes in training and preparation for obtaining international certifications related to EXIN, IAPP, and CompTIA. In 2022, the unit was responsible for 22.3% of the company’s revenue. Last year, this level increased by ten percentage points, reaching 32.3%, with the prospect of advancing even further in 2024 and definitively consolidating itself as the main source of revenue for the company.
