DESIGNING DIGITAL SERVICES FOR THE LEGAL PROFESSION: MEET A PRODUCT MANAGER AT THE SINGAPORE ACADEMY OF LAW  

How do organisations stay nimble and responsive to their stakeholders, through waves of technological and social changes?

How do organisations stay nimble and responsive to their stakeholders, through waves of technological and social changes? Alvin Koh has grappled with this challenge throughout his career as a product manager. Products of the digital economy (pardon the pun), product managers bridge the seemingly disparate worlds of business and tech. They seek to discover an organisation’s north star: the true needs of customers and other stakeholders.  

The product team then charts a path forward, rolling with tides of change and often revamping parts of the ship as it sails. Alvin joined the Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) from the private sector, and without prior legal training. What then motivated this landlubber to sail with SAL? Alvin has always been mission-driven, choosing roles for their impact and scope. Having designed services for e-commerce, healthcare, digital marketing, data analytics and consumer tech, he looked to the horizon for a meaningful challenge. He found just that at SAL: the Academy delivers a wide range of content and services in its mission to enable future-ready and trusted legal professionals. 

At SAL, Alvin oversees the design and development of the next generation of LawNet, SAL’s flagship service that serves more than 90% of the legal profession in Singapore. LawNet was started more than 30 years ago with a simple goal – to democratise access to legal research content and technology for small and large firms alike. This ethos motivates and grounds the team as they work to modernise LawNet.

The next version of LawNet will be launched later this year. It is designed and built as an open hub of trusted content and services, guided by regular consultations with users and legal tech providers. “SAL has a great community of supportive and passionate members who are generous with their time and feedback. Our team designs and develops LawNet in an agile, iterative manner. We often test wireframes and early prototypes with members, to check that we’re on the right track,” Alvin explains.

The new LawNet will first feature improved legal research features (including a rebuilt search engine) and digital-native experiences for SAL’s large library of books, journals, news and analysis. Further ahead, LawNet will provide members with seamless access to continuing legal education, SAL services and third-party legal tech solutions of their choice. 

A little more than 2 years into his role, Alvin has gained his sea legs, “SAL is an exciting, mission-driven place to grow as a product manager. We have a singular commitment to serve our members. Our teams are motivated and empowered to rally behind this common goal. Product management here is very much a full-brain exercise, a deep-sea swim among legal, business, technology and design concerns. Our work can be challenging and trying, but our supportive teams and our member-driven focus make it worth all the while.” 

JOIN HIS TEAM: The Singapore Academy of Law is hiring product managers—learn more here.