LegalTechTalk 2026: What Global Legal Tech Can Teach the Profession – Albert Ferré – E11

You can hear Rob and Albert discussing:

Connect with Albert Ferré here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertferre

Transcript

What happens when the brightest minds in legal, technology and innovation come together to shape the future of our profession? Welcome to the Legally Speaking podcast Legal Tech Talk 2026 miniseries. As the UK’s number one legal podcast and show ranked in the top 1% of podcasts globally, we’re delighted to be returning as the official media partner for Legal Tech Talk for the third time. Having supported this event since the beginning.

We’ve witnessed firsthand how it has become Europe’s largest legal technology conference, bringing together the people, ideas, and innovations transforming the legal industry. Across this special series, we’ll be speaking with some of the world’s leading legal professionals, founders, technologists, change makers to explore what’s next for law. Because our mission remains the same. Inspiring legal minds, transforming legal futures. Let’s get into it.

Welcome to the Legally Speaking podcast sponsored by Clio, recording live here at Legal Tech Talk 2026 in London. Joining me now is another fantastic guest live. Please kindly introduce yourself, name, title, and organization. Thank you. I’m Albert Ferré, Vice President and CEO to the Global Legal Tech Hub, and and a huge nonprofit association to Legal Tech. And we have and a lot of members around the world and and a lot of members and friends here.

Absolutely, and you’re doing such great work and we were very kindly connected before the event and it’s nice to do this in person with you. Everyone is talking about transformation. In your view, what’s the single biggest shift happening in the legal industry right now that legal leaders can no longer afford to ignore? For me people, this is a focus. Okay. This is a focus, this is a present and maybe this is the future. I’m a fighter and I’m I’m I’m a warrior to the access to justice.

Yes. And and we work a lot for make this this concept inside to the sector, no, and say, Okay, guys, it’s incredible that this is intelligence, it’s incredible software. But the real challenge is help people. Yeah, absolutely. And we agree for that. We talk a lot about tech for good, improving access to justice and yeah, just making the world a a better place. we’re here live obviously at Legal Tech Talk. one of the most influential events

on the global legal calendar now that’s for sure. What brought you to Legal Talk twenty twenty six and what’s been one of the biggest highlights for you thus far? I think for the first time the the embarkment around to the Zeban it’s more human approach. Yeah. No? And I don’t know, it’s maybe it’s in my opinion because it’s my first year here in the in the in the Iban. But I think now we are in a special moment.

And I think I can smell in in the air, no, this this new this new soul for the ecosystem. But maybe it’s my opinion. And your opinion matters and that’s why I wanted to have you on the show. you know, you spend a lot of time at the forefront of the industry. You’ve got members, you know, all over the place. what’s one legal problem or challenge you’re most passionate about solving right now? Yeah. And why does that matter? I think exist a lot of problems.

through a lot of pains. we spoke with with one thousand partners in the last year about for example the problem to the adaptation to the technology and innovation things and tools. this is one incredible problem. The cultural impact in in a different companies and and I think another another time again no yeah the impact in people

the psychological problems in the in the law firms, in the in the legal departments. we spoke with a lot of people in a critical moment. You know and I say this is stress, this this continuous stress, this this control, this more technology, this more growth, no in inside to the productivity. it’s incredible. But we need more

human basis. And that’s where I wanted to go next on the human impact because we’re we’re hearing, as you say, a lot around technology, automation, innovation. But if we get this right, what is the real human impact and how does that improve life for lawyers, legal teams, clients and society overall? I think maybe the best impact in in in the world is when when the technology cross the line to the B2B for a right to the B2C.

It’s now at the moment, no. we need to to understand this process, not in in a small time, not in a middle time, it’s a learn, no. We we need to to understand better where is the future. Yeah. And we need to improve the people for for create this future. at the end, I think now we don’t have time. We don’t have time and we don’t have time for thinking. We don’t have time for dream.

We need more time for all of those things. For example, in in in our case in Global Deal the Hub, the main event in October are focused in empowering the future. This is the title. Empowering the future. And then for me the solution is create time. Yeah. No. And and take time, no? Take time in a different spaces. in law firms, in in companies, no, in the academia too. No. We need time.

We need we need time within within a very clear proposal. Time is so important, but isn’t it? It’s our only commodity we can never get back. So looking at the future forecast then sticking with time, let’s fast forward a few years. What will seem completely obvious in say twenty thirty that many legal professionals are perhaps still underestimating today? In the next five years we can see an absolutely automatic law firms. Okay. You know. we can see

different solutions for the final client, for the citizens, for the customers. we can see new justice systems with an incredible open doors for example we can see different with different countries for example in Italy we can see different experiences incredible experiences for direct

a connection to citizens and and administration and the and the justice system and we can see a new universities. Because for us the ecosystem starts when people are learning. Yes. And we learn all no all the all the all the process in university, in masters, no, in the career too and we learn always.

yeah, if you are in a legal sector you are always learning. And and yeah, I can see this future with with an incredible challenges. But for me the opportunity it’s don’t lose time in increase the productivity. Yeah, I agree. I agree. You know, this is the opportunity.

And like you looking at it from a growth mindset there in terms of opportunity, I love that you go to the learning piece ’cause if you drop the L from learn, it spells earn, you must learn before you earn and absolutely re educating, particularly the next generation coming through. And so if you had the attention of every law firm leader, general counsel, managing partner, legal operations professional right now, watching or listening to this, what should they take action on in the next ninety days to prepare for the future? What’s one action they should take? for me now?

The the the the great impact it’s the operation. Okay. Yeah. It’s the operations teams, it’s no rethinking the the all the structures and this is no the the actual challenge. But in the next month when when the people cross this line, the next steps, the last border, it’s rethinking not the process, it’s rethinking the system. Then in nine days, operations.

in nine months the system. Okay, very clear. Appreciate you giving us that. What’s one belief that any legal professional or legal technology or future of law you hold? So one belief that you hold that perhaps many people might disagree with? It’s very different in a different areas to to the to the sector. But maybe people are disagree in the use of time. Okay. No

In this sense like okay, but my time has impact mm in in my life. Obviously, yes, no, because you you you work and you earn money, etc. But my actions are impacting my community. This is a different thing. And my actions in this time that I use in my law firm, no, like twelve hours every day, are impacting the world, change the world, no, at the end I am

in the good part of the world. no, in the in the team of the people that that can change the the the the world for the better feudo. This is this is the the question. I don’t know. I don’t know. Every no, every man, every every woman, every every people in this ecosystem has the answer. Yeah. But but now the use of time.

For me. Yeah. And that’s been a key theme, and I’ve I’ve heard that loud and clear throughout the discussion. I’ve really enjoyed the discussion. So a last signature question before I let you go. The League of Speaking podcast is all about inspiring legal minds, transforming legal futures. So my final question is this: what’s one skill, mindset, or behaviour you believe will separate tomorrow’s leaders from everyone else? Empathy. Love it. Okay.

And if people want to learn more about yourself, indeed your organization, where can they go to find out more, feel free to share any social media handles, any website links, we’ll also share them with this episode for you too. Mm-hmm. Global L Tech Hap, you can find in in internet GLTH and you can find GLTH Day, you can find a lot of activities that that we can create every every year or more than twenty five around the globe and and collaborate with

I don’t know, in social networks for example, you can find Global Legal Tech Hap in LinkedIn and you can find Global Legal Tech Hap in in the in the website too and in all the activities and actions that we have with with partners like Legal Tech Talk. We are here. We can find the the blue two shirts. There we go. It just needs to say thank you so much for joining me live here at Legal Tech Talk twenty twenty six. It’s been an absolute pleasure for all of us on the Leeds Beam podcast sponsored by Clio, wishing you lots of continued success. But for now

Over and out. Thank you for listening to this week’s episode. If you like the content here, why not check out our world leading content and collaboration pub, the Legally Speaking Club, over on Discord? Go to our website, www.legallyspeakingpodcast.com. There’s a link to join our community there. Over and out.