By Devakumar A/L Robert William, Senior Executive, BAC College and Nevash Nithi, Content Writer, BAC College

Many people still picture a law graduate standing in a courtroom. The reality is much wider. Today, law graduates work in banking, fintech, technology, business, policy, governance and consulting. In these roles, legal thinking meets fast moving technology.

This is the first article in our Beyond the Courtroom series. The series shows students, parents and graduates how a legal education opens doors beyond traditional legal practice. It shares the career stories and practical advice of professionals who work in these areas.

We begin with Adjunct Professor Murugason R. Thangaratnam, a cyber security practitioner and board advisor. He started with a legal education and now leads cyber defence work across the Asia Pacific. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Practice at UNIMY. In this Q and A, he explains how legal training helps him handle major cyber incidents, where organisations fall short on digital resilience, what AI means for jobs, and what the next generation should build today.

About Adjunct Professor Murugason R. Thangaratnam
Adjunct Professor Murugason R. Thangaratnam is a cyber security practitioner and board advisor with a legal education from Bond University, Australia. He holds recognised certifications in cyber defence, digital transformation and corporate security management.

He is Co-founder and Cyber Security and Privacy Officer at CI Tech Sdn Bhd. His company partnered with CIDB Holdings to develop CTRAX, an AI powered platform to decarbonise the Malaysian construction industry. He is also the Cyber Defence and Intelligence Lead for the Asia Pacific region at Equanimity Group, a US based company under Enfactum. In addition, he serves as an Adjunct Practice Professor at UNIMY, Honorary Advisor at LTT Global Communications, Advisor at Pusaka Intan Sdn Bhd, and Member of the Digital Expert Network at MDEC.

As an award-winning speaker, he has presented at more than 50 conferences regionally and internationally. He is regularly quoted in online and print media. His honours include the Outstanding Leadership Award at the Internet 2.0 Conference in Dubai (2023) and the Cyber Security Appreciation Award at the Malaysian Cyber Security Awards.

The Interview

From Law to Cyber Strategy

1. You transitioned from a formal legal background into leading cyber defence, AI governance, and digital trust. How did your legal training specifically shape your approach to managing high-stakes strategic risks and emerging technologies?
Law trains you to work with incomplete facts, under pressure, and still reach a defensible decision. That is what a major cyber incident demands. Within hours, it stops being only a technical problem and becomes a legal one. It involves notification duties, regulator expectations, contractual exposure, evidence preservation and directors’ accountability.

My legal training gave me three habits I still use daily:

· Asking “what can we prove, and what will we be held to?” before asking “what happened?”

· Structuring a messy situation into issues, options and consequences.

· Translating between engineers and the boardroom without losing meaning.

With emerging technologies like AI, the first question I ask is the lawyer’s question: who is accountable when this goes wrong?

Governance, Trust, and Policy

2. Having contributed heavily to national data governance frameworks and regulatory controls, what major gaps do you see in how organisations handle digital resilience today, and where must legal minds step up?
The biggest gap is treating compliance as resilience. A policy on paper is not a capability. The recurring gaps I see include:

· Plans that have never been rehearsed, especially the legal, communications and board decision-making parts.

· Weak third-party and supply chain oversight.

· Unclear ownership of data, so nobody is truly accountable for it.

· Boards receiving dashboards rather than decisions to make.

· Staff using AI tools outside any governance.

Legal minds need to step up by writing contracts with enforceable security obligations, joining tabletop exercises, advising directors on their oversight duties, and turning regulations into operational controls. The goal is to help the business move safely, not to be the department that says no.

AI, Automation, and Workforce Anxiety

3. With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, many young professionals and parents feel anxious about job security and the future of work. From your frontline perspective across corporate security and policy advisory, how is AI reshaping employment, and how can professionals future-proof their careers?
The anxiety is understandable, and I will not pretend it is unfounded. AI automates tasks before it eliminates whole jobs. Routine entry-level work like first drafts, research, document review, and basic analysis is hit first. That makes the first step on the career ladder harder.

At the same time, demand is growing for people who can verify AI output, govern its use, and take accountability for decisions. AI can produce an answer, but it cannot be held responsible for it.

To future-proof your career:

· Use AI tools daily so you learn their strengths and failure points.

· Build judgement and deep knowledge of your field, because AI cannot replace those qualities.

· Own outcomes, not just tasks.

· Keep learning continuously.

To parents: do not panic, but do not be complacent either. A degree alone is not protection. Capability is.

Advice for the Next Generation

4. For students and graduates navigating a fast-changing digital and legal landscape, what mindset and core competencies are essential for building a resilient, future-proof career?

Mindset matters first. Stay curious, accept being a beginner again and again, and take ownership instead of waiting for instructions.

The core competencies I recommend building include:

· Clear writing and speaking. This is still the most underrated skill.

· Critical thinking, including the discipline to verify before you trust.

· Technology literacy. You do not need to code, but you must understand data, cloud systems, and AI well enough to ask good questions.

· Risk thinking, which means weighing likelihood, impact, and trade-offs.

· Integrity, because trust is the product in this field.

Practically speaking, get into the room early. Join industry events, write and speak publicly, earn relevant certifications, and take on uncomfortable assignments. A law degree is a foundation, not a destination. It teaches you how to think, and what you build on top of it is up to you.

Key Takeaways

· Law builds strong foundations: Legal training prepares you for high-pressure work. The ability to make decisions with incomplete facts, structure a messy problem, and explain it clearly is exactly what a major cyber incident needs.

· Compliance is not resilience: A written policy is not a capability. Organisations must rehearse their plans, including legal, communications, and board decisions.

· Lawyers as enablers: Legal professionals can help businesses move safely by drafting enforceable contracts, running tabletop exercises, and giving clear advice on directors’ duties.

· AI shifts tasks: AI affects entry-level tasks first, but creates high demand for people who verify outputs and take responsibility for decisions.

· Capability over degrees: Real protection comes from capability. Use AI tools daily, build deep industry judgement, and own your outcomes.

· Communication and trust: Clear communication, critical thinking, and absolute integrity remain essential through every technology shift.

· Proactive action: Get involved early. Attend industry events, share your knowledge publicly, earn certifications, and accept difficult assignments.

About the Beyond the Courtroom Series
Beyond the Courtroom is a BAC series for students, graduates and parents. It shows how law graduates build careers in banking, fintech, technology, business, policy, governance and consulting. Through the career stories and practical advice of our guests, the series helps readers see how far a legal education can take them.