GeoLegal Notes - The Nexus of Law, Tech and Geopolitics
Helping you look around the corner. Before it's too late.
The world is literally on fire. There are hot wars in some of the most geostrategic regions of the world, with substantial economic consequence. There is a fire burning under traditional business models - particularly in the legal sector - driven by red hot technology innovation. And there is a universe of new regulation and law related to ESG issues given rising global temperatures.
I’ve spent the last twenty years thinking about politics and public policy. I’ve spent recent years thinking about technology and law, as co-founder of Hence Technologies. There has never been quite such a convergence of these issues. And, as a result, I’ve become acutely aware of the complete and utter dearth of quality sources for lawyers to understand the world around them.
Traditionally, lawyers did lawyering. That was often transactional and also often isolated from the strategic context in which the lawyers were working. When lawyers are lucky, they get briefed by their own government affairs teams. Or occasionally they are working on a deal or a case that justifies the purchase of some analysis. But rarely do they have access to world class foresight about political or technological events that impact them and their clients.
In today’s world, the Chief Legal Officers and General Counsels of companies large and small are on the hook for much more. These lawyers are board level executives expected to opine about how the state of the world will impact the legal context in which their enterprise operates. They often have government affairs and compliance functions reporting into them, which are more directly involved in influencing and complying with policy and law.
Yet, there is still very little research and thought leadership that focuses on the practice of law and how it is impacted by global conditions. To be clear, there is A LOT being written about politics on any given day. And about the impact of AI on the practice of law. Some of it is published by law firms or consulting firms that service legal customers. But to me, the nexus of these issues presents a gap.
So, this substack is designed to fill that gap. And you’re welcome to join in.
This newsletter is going to be pretty simple to digest.
I’ll connect what’s going in the world to my own analysis of implications for the legal sector.
Soon, you will receive my GeoLegal Outlook for 2024. It will cover the main themes at the intersection of global affairs and legal affairs I think are relevant to legal leaders in 2024. Ongoing notes will digest relevant global events as they impact legal leaders. I’ll also include relevant content on the impact of technology on society and the economy. And I’ll include a roundup of what I’m reading. Finally, I’ll share some stories from our own journey at Hence.
I’ve been tracking these issues in my column for Above the Law , which will continue. I’ve also launched a monthly conference call series with Tina Fordham of Fordham Global Foresight to really dig into these issues in a truly global context, which you can comment on below if you’d like to join. And I frequently write about these topics on LinkedIn.
But I also wanted to do something more personal for those who want to debate these issues on an ongoing basis. And to help you look around the corner, before it’s too late.
I hope you’ll find it useful.
-SW