Mads Eriksen finished his Master of Law from The University of Oslo (UiO) in 2016 and went on to work as a legal counsel for a trade union. After a few years of working, he decided that he wanted to specialize in technology law.
– The Information and Communication Technology Law (ICTL) degree was a good fit for my current knowledge of technology and my desire to connect it with my legal background.
Working with a range of different legal issues
Even before completing the ICTL degree, Mads was hired as a legal counsel for the accounting firm Deloitte. As part of Deloitte Norway’s in-house legal team, he assists the company in managing legal risks while also adding value by advising on contracts, governance, regulatory, corporate, and other legal matters. Because of his knowledge in ICT Law, he is also in charge of compliance with data privacy law.
– I am currently working on different legal issues, including IT contracts, employment law and advising on tenders. I am also spending much of my time on legal risks related to generative AI, as well as improving our privacy compliance program.
Combining different skill sets in his current position
Mads has achieved a lot both academically and professionally, and his current job at Deloitte allows him to combine it all. His degree in ICTL has equipped him with solving the tech-related issues that he is facing in his job today.
– Knowledge of current regulations regarding privacy and information security is key in advising the business on compliance issues, as well as preparing it for new regulations such as the EU AI Act.
– Understanding the relationships between different types of regulations, standards and frameworks has been beneficial when gaining a high-level picture of the compliance landscape. This is particularly helpful in an international, networked firm that is subject to different jurisdictions and regulatory regimes.
In addition to getting good use of his degree in ICTL, he has a BA in European Studies (EU), a Master of Law and previous work experience in different trade unions that have all proven useful.
– By working and volunteering for different trade unions in different industries, I have learned a lot about organizational work and employment law. I also got into contracts and Intellectual property (IP) at my last job. These are all useful skills in my job today.
– Today's tech talk may become law tomorrow
One important takeaway from his ICTL degree was how current and relevant the courses were. Mads mentions Privacy Law where he was familiarized with GDPR, Legal Tech where he learned about automatization and programming in the legal field, and a group project in Robot Regulation on AI and IP, which seemed to have been ahead of its time.
– With the introduction of Chat GPT and similar tools, our mostly theoretical discussions about AI and infringement of IP have become much more real and tangible.
His best advice for students interested in technology law is to stay up to date on tech-related issues through relevant events and digital platforms.
– Attend seminars, read publications and websites, and listen to podcasts to gain insights into current conversations and prepare for advising on similar issues in the future.
– Understand that what are today’s tech talks may become law tomorrow. The speed of technological breakthroughs makes it difficult for regulation to keep up, so be expected to partake in risk assessments with moving targets, sometimes moving at great speed.
Mads Eriksen
Study programme: Information and Communication Technology Law
Year of examination: 2020
Work title: Legal counsel
Work place: Deloitte Norway