They do not need an army of lawyers. But they do need GOOD lawyers who understand both worlds.
For example, we all know how wonderful artificial intellegence and machine-learning would contribute to the society. But how do you protect products/softwares exploring artificial intellegence and machine-learning? Should you protect with patents, copyrights, or trade secrets? What are the pros and cons of each approach?
Can any computer engineer answer that?
Can any political science major-turned lawyer answer that?