LegalTechTalk Uncovered 2025 – Neeta Halai – E16

You can hear Rob and Neeta discussing:

Connect with Neeta here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetahalai/

Transcript

00:00

Welcome to the Legally Speaking podcast, Legal Tech Talk Uncovered Mini Series 2025, sponsored by Clio.

00:07

We’re back with our red mic for a behind the scenes series all about legal innovation at Europe’s largest legal tech event.

00:15

So we’re granted access to meet some of the greatest speakers, sponsors, brands in the whole legal tech world.

00:22

We’ve got 300 speakers with over 70 sessions with over 4,000 attendees from all across the globe, hitting aus here over the next two days at Legal Tech Talk live in London.

00:33

From AI to access to justice to smart compliance, you name it, we’re covering it all.

00:38

This isn’t just another conversation or another conference.

00:41

It’s a blueprint for community and transformation.

00:45

So buckle up.

00:45

We’re speaking with some incredible people about policy change, change makers, legal innovation, and so much more.

00:52

Over and out.

00:55

Welcome to the Legally Speaking podcast live here at Legal Tech Talk 2025.

01:01

I am joined by name, title and organisation.

01:04

Neeta Halai, and I’m a solicitor, a trainer and the founder of New Heights Training.

01:09

Yeah, and just an all-round kind, lovely human that we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with over many times.

01:16

I’m glad we’re able to do this live at Legal Tech Talk today.

01:19

Me too.

01:19

Me too.

01:20

It’s been a long time coming.

01:21

So tell folks what your session was all about here at Legal Tech Talk.

01:25

I moderated a panel really yesterday on, is your legal team falling behind the curve?

01:32

And that was to do with new technologies, but also finding out where the communication and collaboration played a part of that.

01:40

That followed by a workshop that I held today, on Friday, on leading with authenticity in challenging times.

01:47

And the key focus of everything I do is always about creating lawyers who are smart with not just the IQ, which is a given, but also EQ.

01:56

Love it.

01:56

Love it.

01:56

And that was kind of going to be my next question in terms of like, what, in one sentence, what is one of the things you’re really trying to solve in and around the world of legal?

02:03

Well, I think, you know, as lawyers, we are trained to be extremely diligent, extremely focused, and we are also trained in law school to fear, you know, failure and risk.

02:17

And now with the changing landscape of the way technology is progressing,the way that society is changing.

02:25

We have to have lawyers who we’re more than just the hat of being a black letter law lawyer.

02:31

Yeah, and I love it.

02:31

And you are.

02:32

And you do so much to help the next generation as well.

02:35

You put so many resources out there.

02:36

Just tell people about the resources you put out for people.

02:39

That’s really kind of you.

02:40

So I train and coach primarily lawyers or aspiring solicitors in the area of the psychology of human behaviour, emotional intelligence and language patterns.

02:50

And when you embed all three of those things in any training or coaching, it really makes you a well-rounded, holistic, smart lawyer who can make empathetic decisions.

03:02

Love it.

03:02

Love it.

03:02

And you’re so succinct in the way that you articulate that as well.

03:05

Tell us about your Legal TED Talk experience.

03:07

Like you’ve been here, you’ve been speakingspeaking, you’ve been at sessions, you’ve had massages.

03:11

Yeah, just talk us through your experience at Legal Tech Talk 2025.

03:14

I’d say it’s not like a typical legal conference.

03:18

It’s like a festival.

03:20

Everybody is very kind, it’s very relaxed.

03:24

I moderated a panel of amazing experts in the area of, you know, being GCs, but also professional services and recognising why their businesses or if their businesses are falling behind the curve, why?

03:37

And it really is the foundation of communicationnot everybody’s on the same wavelength or has the same enthusiasm for AI, technology, innovation.

03:47

And so it all stems back to making sure everyone is riding the wavelength and making sure everyone’s on the same page.

03:54

Love it.

03:55

And what’s been your biggest aha moment from being at Legal Tech Talk 2025?

03:59

The aha moment has been meeting so many people that I have met through social media, but not in person.

04:05

So it’s so nice to be able to do that.

04:08

And thenlistening to the talks, the talk about the power of listening by Julian Treasure was amazing.

04:17

And I also feel just the little side perks, like the massage, oh my goodness.

04:24

I say the two M’s, you know, Niamh with the music and Simone with the massage makes it a speaker’s dream.

04:31

They’re already stressed about what they’ve got to do because, you know, they want to make sure that it goes well.

04:36

But when you have these little side perks, it makes it amazing.

04:39

it all the better, doesn’t it?

04:41

I absolutely love that.

04:41

Okay, and if you were to look forward in five years’ time, what do you think people will expect from legal services that they’re not getting today?

04:51

I think people will expect efficiency and effectiveness, but that comes with the whole AI, and I think there’s a lot of fear-mongeringgoing on where people think, actually, you know what, it’s going to take over our jobs.

05:04

But I deep down think there’s always going to be a need for some level of human connection or some level of reassurance that’s going to be required.

05:11

And so it’s not about AI necessarily taking over your role, which it may well do.

05:17

Don’t see it as a challenge.

05:18

See it as an opportunity for you to be able to focus on things that are actually very important for you or allow you to then leverage and tap into untapped talents.

05:28

Oh, I love that.

05:28

Okay.

05:29

And there’s been lotsthemes this year, there’s been collaboration, there’s been smart compliance, access to justice, law and tech, evolution, revolution, purpose-driven law.

05:39

Is there one that particularly stands out to you and if so, why?

05:43

I think there’s been so many talks, discussions, all of them are very relevant.

05:51

I think there’s been a lack of understanding of how human skills really have a huge impact on technology and AI and innovation.

06:02

And I think when you can bring that to at least the forefront, it then means that everybody’s on the same page rather than just racing ahead with those that are brilliant at it and understand it and really flow with it.

06:16

You know, for businesses, I see it all the time, they’ve got to be able to get everybody on board.

06:21

And that really comes back to the human skill of connecting.

06:24

And which you’re so good at.

06:25

And we’ve had lots of connections, there’s been lots of great people we’ve met here.

06:30

Where can people go to find out more about you, the free resources you’re putting on, the things that you’re doing?

06:35

We’ll also share them with this episode for you too.

06:37

Thank you.

06:38

So I have a website called New Heights Training where you can find all the resources and all the skills training I do, all the coaching areas.

06:47

And I’m the first published author of the SQE book called Skilfully Passing the Solicitor’s Qualifying Examination.

06:54

Very original.

06:55

Very good.

06:56

But, you know, it’s a resource that actually will help you become a very well-rounded lawyer.

07:01

The law schools do a great job at teaching you the law, but we’ve a long way to go where they create smart IQ and EQ lawyers.

07:09

And that is my goal.

07:10

And you’re doing it so, so well.

07:11

So it just needs me to say thank you so much for joining me on the Legally Speaking podcast live here at Legal TechTalk 2025 in London.

07:19

But from all of us for now, over and out.

07:21

Thank you for listening to this week’s episode.

07:24

If you like the content here, why not check out our world leading content and collaboration hub, the Legally Speaking Club over on Discord.

07:34

Go to our website, www.legallyspeakingpodcast.com for the link to join our community there.

07:41

Over and out.