Clifford Chance launches Tech Academy

The Tech Academy's portal houses a range of online training programmes and webinars, short summaries of key technologies and trends, online videos and webinars, a glossary of useful terms and links to other resources. Amongst the online training programmes are two ways to access Coding training - one for those with basic understanding and another for those with intermediate knowledge.

As well as the online site, the Tech Academy will host a series of workshops run by Collective Campus, the education and innovation consultancy based in Australia. These are full day training courses to be held throughout the year around the world on a range of topics, from e-commerce and connected vehicles to artificial intelligence, blockchain, data privacy and cybersecurity.

Clifford Chance's Tech Group comprises a global, cross-practice team of over 400 lawyers with extensive industry expertise. As well as advising market-leading players in the Tech sector, the group helps a range of clients to explore the opportunities and risks that technology brings. The Tech Academy will ensure the group remains on top of the latest technology concepts and developments and that this understanding spreads across the firm.

Paul Landless, Finance partner based in Singapore and one of the leaders of the firm's Tech Group explains: "Our clients' market environment is undergoing a paradigm shift with technology pervasive across all sectors and deeply affecting our clients' businesses. As a firm we want to develop our people fully with a balanced set of both technical and business skills for today and the future, focussed on what our clients need and with a strong grasp of business trends in our clients' industries. To remain as trusted advisers, our clients expect us to be conversant with not only the key technology themes that are driving their transactions, fundraisings and new digital business models, but also today's legal and regulatory risks or compliance challenges with managing ever-increasing data across borders or swiftly introducing new technologies alone or with support from other businesses."

Anand Saha, Capital Markets partner based in New York and another of Clifford Chance's Tech Group leaders, adds: "It is critical that our people are fluent in the key technological trends that our clients are facing and the Tech Academy will build our lawyers' understanding on a range of topics from e-commerce and connected vehicles to artificial intelligence, blockchain, data privacy and cybersecurity. The goal is to stay on top of the issues and remain in tune with our clients as they grapple with rapidly changing technologies."

The Tech Academy is a technology focused element of the firm's central learning and development function, the Clifford Chance Academy. The Academy is the home for professional and personal development for all of our people including lawyers and business services staff of all levels. Technology elements will also be blended in to existing courses where relevant including our Development Centres, Business Development training and Milestone courses.

Tim Sherwood, Director of the Clifford Chance Academy explains "Our central training function helps our people to develop consistently excellent legal, business and commercial skills that our clients expect from us. Our training programmes are under constant review to ensure they adapt to client demands and the market environment and the Tech Academy is an excellent example of this. Combining flexible online learnings and resources with in depth face to face training, it will help our people to keep on top of the latest developments in this fast moving space."