As a lawyer coder, you will want to play around with Word documents. You may explore document automation or assembly. To do this, you will need to be able to code the find, replace, and search for terms or symbols. You may wish to code macros in Word to automate tasks.
Beginning your coding journey with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a wise first step, as it combines tradition with tangible, real-world impact. VBA lives inside tools you already use – Excel, Word, and Outlook -so your code immediately solves everyday problems: searching through data, generating contracts, building a contract suite, and automating repetitive tasks. That instant utility keeps motivation high and shows programming as a craft that serves precise legal and business needs.
VBA’s syntax is readable and forgiving. You learn timeless fundamentals – variables, data types, loops, conditionals, procedures, functions, and modular design – without wrestling with complex setup or package management. The Macro Recorder (built into Word) provides a unique apprenticeship: you record an action, inspect the generated code, and refine it. This “watch, mimic, improve” cycle teaches event-driven thinking and object models in a familiar setting. That’s unique because if you don’t know the basics of coding, you can create a macro. The macro then provides you with the code, from which you can learn.
Debugging in the VBA editor is beginner-friendly: you can step through code, set breakpoints, watch variables, and use the Immediate window. These habits form the backbone of disciplined development in any computer language. At the same time, the Office object models (e.g., Excel’s Range, Worksheet, Workbook) introduce you to APIs and documentation reading skills that transfer directly to modern ecosystems. You can control these through settings and avoid compiling them separately, unlike some other languages, such as Python and FORTRAN.
VBA also cultivates professional value quickly. Many organisations still rely on spreadsheets, templates, and macros; becoming the person who automates a monthly task from four hours to four minutes builds credibility and creates a portfolio of visible wins. It teaches respectful extension of established systems rather than needless reinvention -an attitude prized in both legal and software teams.
Finally, VBA is a launchpad, not a cul-de-sac. Once comfortable, you can graduate smoothly to Python, JavaScript, or C# – applying the same logic structures, testing discipline, and API fluency. In short: VBA offers low friction, immediate usefulness, and solid foundations, honouring how things have long been done while preparing you to build what comes next.
Please give it a go. Turn on the Developer tab and experiment. You don’t need to hire a programmer or pay for a fancy document automation tool. Get into it!
Given my experience as an international debt capital markets lawyer I retain a strong interest in banking and finance, debt capital markets, derivatives and financial services regulation.
My engineering knowledge and experience has equipped me to also take briefs in the areas of products liability, product safety, building claims and consumer claims under the new Consumer Law.
I confess I have a very personal interest in medical negligence and that’s why I have become a passionate advocate for this area of law. I am the son of a surgeon, a brother of a dermatologist and orthopaedic surgeon and the brother in law of an anaesthetist and vascular surgeon. When we all get together around the dining table the conversations are electric and sadly often turn to the torment that is a complaint.
Banking and Finance
Medical Negligence
Product Liability
