Legal Cheek – “A graduate of the University of Edinburgh has won a full SQE1 scholarship with BARBRI for her vision of what the law firm of the future will look like. Natalie Northridge, 26, is a step closer to fulfilling her solicitor ambitions after securing funding worth £3,000 as part of the legal education giant’s new initiative testing commercial awareness and creative thinking. Northridge, who graduated with a first class degree in social anthropology, submitted a 1,000 word essay on ‘The law firm of the future’ which the judges considered to be “the most original and innovative” submission. In her essay, Northridge predicts that further advancements in AI technology will lead to greater and more sophisticated automation — so much so that law, business and even life itself will take place inside virtual realities. She explains this will add new dimensions (and challenges) to the work done by the trainee solicitor of the future…”