Legal tech expert Sil Vogel: 'The variety of our clients is unique'

What does the lawyer of the future look like? Sil Vogel has been working on that question since his student days. Combining legal work with technology opens up a world of possibilities. "A lot of lawyers are not at home in these innovations at all, so I am glad to help them with that."

"I have always been a bit of a computer nerd," Vogel begins. As a child he was already deeply into technology, so the choice was easy once his law degree turned out to offer an option for it. "Legal tech really was still in its infancy back then, but there was already a minor in it. That is how I found out that I do not find the classic lawyer all that interesting. It is the lawyer of the future that appeals to me."

"It is still difficult today to implement legal tech fully in a legal department," the lawyer says. "Usually it is mainly legal work with a small technical edge for support. In my view, there is no groundbreaking player in the Dutch legal tech sector yet that does it completely differently. Legal Manager is no exception to that, but it is growing fast and it is innovative. What is unique about the work as a legal manager is above all the clients and the systems you get to work with. You deal with a lot of different sectors and companies. That variety is very interesting."

Setting things up efficiently

Vogel explains that companies can choose between different legal tech solutions to work in. "Legal Manager is an expert in several platforms, so it does not matter which solution a company picks. We can help them set it all up as efficiently as possible. I support organizations through a switch like that. Legisway has hundreds of features, for instance, but only about half of them are likely to be relevant to any one company. We also have our own ticketing system, based on email. Clients use it to send us their various requests, about share transfers, new entities, contracts and so on. We then enter those neatly into the system."

That work also gives Vogel an immediate look behind the scenes at a range of organizations, both in the Netherlands and internationally. "Getting to help out at so many companies is a unique chance to see how they each approach things in their own way. Really interesting."

Vogel noticed how he had hit a ceiling with his previous employer, because there was little left to learn. "A lot of companies are focused on one service. You can end up in a sort of factory mindset. I do not have that at Legal Manager, because every client comes with new requirements and new challenges."

In the meantime, Vogel is glad to keep building on his earlier experience, such as managing young professionals. "At Legal Manager I do that with a team of working students, among other things. They do good work, they are flexible, and they bring energy to the workplace. And for those students it is ideal to be doing work related to their studies and gaining experience for their working life."

The legal tech specialist is also involved in mentoring interns. "Great to do," he says. "It is good to see people go through that kind of personal growth and take their first independent steps into working life. It is certainly worth the investment. Our previous intern now works two days a week on a permanent basis. That transition happens very naturally with us."

Interested in an internship at Legal Manager? Click here for more information.