If you're reading this, you're likely standing at a common crossroads: the intersection of law and technology. You're looking at the world of tech, specifically product management, and wondering how to bridge the gap.

Let me assure you, law and product management are more similar than you might think. Both require dissecting complex problems, managing multiple stakeholders, and communicating intricate ideas with clarity. Your legal background isn't a detour; it's a unique launchpad into a thriving career, especially as technology becomes more entangled with regulation, privacy, and ethics.

This roadmap is not just a checklist, but a guide to shifting your mindset, acquiring new skills, and leveraging your "unfair advantage" to become a product manager who doesn't just survive, but thrives.

Photo by Walkator on Unsplash

Phase 1: The mindset shift to Product Visionary

Before you learn a single line of code or build your first product roadmap, the most critical change is internal.

As a legal practitioner, your thinking is often trained to be risk-averse, precedent-based, and focused on avoiding negative outcomes. A product manager, on the other hand, is a creative problem-solver, obsessed with user needs and comfortable with the ambiguity of building something new.

Your first step is to start thinking like a product manager. This means:

• Embracing problems, not just precedents: Instead of looking for what's been done before, start identifying problems in your daily life, frustrating user experiences on websites, missing features in apps you use, or inefficiencies in your own legal workflows.
• Developing "product sense": Begin to deconstruct the products you use every day. Why is the interface designed that way? What user problem is it solving? How does it make money? This critical thinking is the foundation of product sense.
• Moving from "No" to "How": In law, you're often the voice that says, "We can't do that because..." A product manager's role is to hear the constraints and ask, "How can we achieve our goal within these constraints?" It’s a subtle but profound shift from a gatekeeper to an enabler.

Start by immersing yourself in the language and thinking of product management. Listen to podcasts, read blogs, and begin to see the world through this new lens.

Phase 2: Building your foundation with skillset

With your new mindset taking shape, it's time to build the practical skills that form the bedrock of product management. Many of these will be extensions of abilities you already possess.

• Communication and stakeholder management: As a lawyer, you're an expert in explaining complex concepts and managing stakeholders with competing interests. This is a direct parallel to a product manager's daily life, where you'll be communicating with engineers, designers, marketers, and executives.

• Learning the methodologies: You need to understand the frameworks that tech teams use to build products. Get familiar with terms like Agile, Scrum, and Kanban. There are mulitple online courses and certifications that can provide this foundational knowledge.

  • Certified Product Manager (CPM): Offered by organisations like AIPMM, this certification covers the entire product lifecycle, from development to market research.
  • Agile Certifications (e.g., PMI-ACP): These demonstrate your expertise in the agile methodologies that are standard in software development.
  • Product School Certifications: These are well-regarded in the industry and offer different levels, from foundational to executive.

• Understanding the user: The heart of any great product is a deep understanding of the customer. This involves learning techniques for user research, conducting user interviews, and developing user personas. Think of user interviews as a new form of discovery, where you're uncovering needs instead of facts for a case.

Phase 3: The tech deep dive

AI, data analytics, and automation.

This is where your legal background transforms from a related field into a formidable asset. The most innovative and challenging areas of tech today are fraught with legal and ethical complexities. For most product managers, this is a hurdle. For you, it's home turf.

You don't need to become a data scientist, but you must learn to speak their language. Take introductory courses in data analytics and AI for professionals. There are even programs specifically designed to teach lawyers about AI and data science. Understanding these concepts will help you work with technical teams and grasp the potential and limitations of these technologies.

Specialise in high-stakes areas:

• AI ethics and bias: AI systems can perpetuate biases, leading to discriminatory outcomes. Your legal training in fairness and ethics makes you uniquely qualified to lead discussions on building responsible AI.
• Data privacy and security: With regulations like GDPR and a growing public demand for privacy, building products that handle data responsibly is a major challenge. A product manager with a deep understanding of privacy law can turn compliance from a legal checkbox into a core product feature and a source of user trust. Many companies are now realising they need a robust AI privacy strategy.
• Legal Tech and RegTech: The most direct path is to join a legal tech company. These companies are actively seeking product managers who understand the pain points of lawyers and the complexities of the legal industry. Job descriptions for legal tech PMs often list experience with compliance and enterprise needs as key requirements. Some roles even focus specifically on Generative AI within a legal context.

Phase 4: Gain experience and build your portfolio

A resume can only tell so much. To truly prove you can do the job, you need to show your work. This means creating a product portfolio, even if you don't have formal product management experience yet.

• Create case studies: Take one of those problems you identified in Phase 1 and build a case study around it.

  1. Define the problem: Thoroughly research a user problem.
  2. Propose a solution: Brainstorm ideas and create a mock-up of your proposed solution using tools like Figma or Balsamiq (no coding required).
  3. Outline a launch plan: Detail how you would measure success. This demonstrates your ability to think like a PM from start to finish.

• Seek out product-adjacent roles: Look for opportunities within your current firm to work on technology-related projects. This could be helping to select and implement new software or working with a team to improve an internal process.

• Find real-world projects: Volunteer your skills for a non-profit or a small business that needs help with their website or a small digital project. This gives you tangible experience and something concrete to add to your portfolio.

• Build something (no-code): Use no-code platforms to build a simple application that solves a problem. The act of building, even without code, forces you to think through the entire product development lifecycle.

Photo by Team Nocoloco on Unsplash

Phase 5: Making the leap

Now it's time to bring everything together and land your first product manager role.

Your resume and cover letter need to tell a compelling story. Don't just list your legal duties; translate them. Reframe your experience in the language of product management. For instance, "managing a complex litigation" becomes "leading a cross-functional project with multiple stakeholders to a successful outcome."

• Network strategically: Your network is your most powerful asset. Reach out to product managers on LinkedIn, especially those with similar backgrounds. Ask about their journey and for advice. People are often generous with their time. Go to events, both online and in-person, related to product management and legal tech. This is a great way to learn and make connections.
• Target the right companies: Focus on legal tech companies or companies in highly regulated industries (like FinTech or HealthTech) where your legal background is a clear advantage.
• Ace the interview: Be prepared to discuss your portfolio and case studies in detail. Show your passion for solving user problems and your unique perspective as a former legal professional.
• Thrive in your new role: Once you land the job, the learning doesn't stop. Spend your first 90 days listening and learning. Build relationships, especially with your engineering team. Understand the product and the customer deeply. Your ability to quickly grasp complex systems and build trust—skills you honed as a lawyer—will be your keys to success.

This journey is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires intellectual curiosity, a willingness to be a beginner again, and the conviction that your unique background is exactly what the tech world needs.

You have the analytical rigour and the ethical foundation to not just build products, but to build better, more responsible, and more successful products.

ABOUT ME

I'm Juliet Edjere, a no-code professional focused on automation, product development, and building scalable solutions with no coding knowledge.

Learn from practical examples and explore the possibilities of no-code, AI and automation. We'll navigate the tools, platforms, and strategies – one article at a time!

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