These top legal technologist specialists, leaders and heroes in the UK are redefining what it means to practise law, and indeed to succeed with legal service delivery, in the 21st century. Leveraging tools like AI for law firms (whether generative or otherwise), legal case and matter management software, other legal technology and digital solutions and more, they help innovate and drive law firms forward to help them better improve their operations and their legal services and solutions for clients.
NEW at 9 Dec 2023: We’re pleased to announce that our new directory of some of the UK’s best legal technologists, leaders and consultants is available here. In beta, if you have any feedback or changes you’d like to request please do get in touch:-
- For Best Legal Technologists & Consultants in Scotland click here.
- For Best Legal Technologists & Consultants in England click here.
and also expanded to other parts of the world here:-
- Top Legal Technologists USA (North America)
- Canada’s Top Legal Technologists
- India’s Top Legal Technologists
- Ireland’s Top Legal Technologists
- Spain’s Top Legal Technologists
- Sweden’s Top Legal Technologists
- Singapore’s Top Legal Technologists
And before we begin with the full list outlined below, I’d like to thank Marc May for his brilliant work in producing the Legal Operations Index on his leading site The Legal Technologist here (and indeed for kindly featuring me there too a few years ago) and for LinkedIn Premium which was a great help, along with Google and personal recommendations, in putting together some of this research (although it would be good if you could just search it, like you used to be able to, for people using the free version…)
I had initially intended it to cover the US, Ireland, Australia, and Canada too, but having done extended research into legal technologists in the UK, I was amazed at just how many there are now so I hope to cover those other countries at a later point in a future blog post.
In passing, there appears to be a significant trend with Addleshaw Goddard hiring and growing a significant team of legal technologists, particularly in and around Manchester. It reminds me of the great pool of Legal Analysts at Ashurst in Glasgow. It would be interesting to find out more about the day to day responsibilities of these individuals in terms of how much is legal technology and how much is work that a Trainee Solicitor or junior Solicitor would have done before – this press release here “AG puts faith in next generation of legal technologists from Addleshaw Goddard LLP” is a useful starting point – if anyone has further insights it would be great to hear from you.
Ten years ago, you’d be lucky if you found a handful of these professionals with this title. Now the number is growing at a rapid pace.
And if you know anyone else who should be included below, let me know here please – I’d be very grateful in helping to expand this into one of the most useful resources on some of the best legal technologists in the UK.
First, what is a Legal Technologist?
A professional in legal sector who specialises in the application of technology to legal services is known as a legal technologist. This may involve devising AI-driven legal research tools or integrating software applications for e-discovery and case management. The position is crucial in facilitating the integration of technological advancements into the justice system and into commercial legal practice by modernising law firms, courts and legal procedures.
Prominent technologies such as data analytics and artificial intelligence are fundamentally transforming the operations of legal practitioners and the way in which their clients are attended to.
Second, how much do Legal Technologists earn? What is the average salary band?
Salaries for a legal technologist average just over £40k according to Glassdoor (with a range of £29k to £57k+ according to those who have submitted data to that site) but there is no limit to how senior, important or entrepreneurial you can become as a legal technologist or as a leader in the application of technology to legal services as the directory of people below illustrates, particularly for those who have started up their own legal tech businesses and consulting practices.
95+ Top Legal Technologists in the UK
Like Richard Susskind predicted would happen, there are now many people across the UK specialising as legal technologists. Most of these people have a previous legal background e.g. through law degree study or trainee solicitor experience and some of them come from a purely coding and IT background.
Given the sheer number, I’ve divided the list into each of the main jurisdictions within the UK i.e. Scotland, England & Wales and Northern Ireland:-
30+ Legal Technologist Specialists & Leaders in/from Scotland
Stephen Moore (Glasgow) – Founder & CEO of MLT Digital, formerly Moore Legal Technology – Helping law firms make money from the internet and combining AI enhanced marketing with legal expertise to deliver growth solutions and drive law firm success; Board Member of Lawscot Tech Advisory Board. “I have been delivering legal technology solutions for leading law firms & professional service companies since 2000; I qualified as a lawyer in 2001 and in 2006 completed a Masters degree in Information Technology from Glasgow University. Find out more about Stephen’s unique story here and you can also listen to Stephen’s new Podcast, Your Law Firm Success, here – first guest speakers are high profile figures in the Scottish legal sector Austin Lafferty and Greg Whyte.
Graeme Johnston (Dundee, Scotland) – Founder & CEO of Juralio “Juralio is easy-to-use software for mapping your work and getting things done.” ; “We design and develop software to help people deal with challenging, complex, potentially stressful work. Software alone can’t solve this, but ours is intended to support an effective, insightful, calm, human, less-distracted way of working. Our software is designed and developed by our own employees, not by contractors. We aim to be a great place to work. We also pay great attention to the continuous improvement of our systems for design, engineering, security, data protection and support. Our software is designed to fit into the business software ecosystem. For example, we integrate with leading products for document and chat handling. We also make significant contributions to an open source endeavour intended to make the world a better place – see www.noslegal.org )
Sam Moore (formerly Glasgow/Edinburgh, now San Francisco). Scotland’s first accredited legal technologist ; An expert in legal tech & innovation working in law firms and legal technology vendors. Fastcase50 inductee 2022; “I am an experienced legal technologist, strategic change leader, and project manager with over 15 years of commercial experience. I have led innovation projects and portfolios for both law firms and legal technology vendors, giving me unique insight into both the ‘buy’ and ‘sell’ side of legal tech and innovation.”
Accredited Legal Technologist Specialists in Scotland
The Law Society of Scotland also has a list of Accredited Legal Technologist specialists available which we’ve included below. The Scottish accredited legal technologist scheme launched by the Law Society of Scotland in September 2019 has now seen 16 legal technologist experts in Scotland becoming accredited. This is available for a £300 or so application fee and after rigorous examination and assessment the accreditation lasts for three years before requiring to be renewed. As at 8th December 2023, these accredited specialists are as follows (some of whom are within our legal technologist directory here) :-
| Rob Aberdein | Alston Law |
| Jonathan Bowker | Advanced Analytica |
| Andre Boyle | Millar & Bryce |
| Allan Currie | Abstractis |
| Steve Dalgleish | Shepherd & Wedderburn |
| Zoe Fowlie | Vialex |
| Steven Hill | Denovo |
| Joan Iromantu | Shell |
| Sam Moore | Burness Paull |
| Andrew Mowlam | Sky UK Ltd |
| Lewis Quinn | Thorntons |
| Jill Sinclair | DWF |
| Joe Sparshatt | Brodies |
| Alan Stuart | Stuart & Co |
| Kevan Todd | Jones Whyte |
| Warren Wander | LawWare |
Brian Inkster (Glasgow, Shetland) “CEO Inksters (Scotland’s Plug & Play Law firm + FSB UK Award winner 2022) | “A one man Scottish legal institution” – The Firm | “Maverick” – insider.co.uk | Lawyer, Speaker & Author”; Founder of The Time Blawg; Founder of Inksters Solicitors – “Inksters is now the largest fee-share law firm in Scotland where senior lawyers work as a collective, with enhanced technology and back-office support. Where a hub-and-spoke model exists with a back office “hub” (Glasgow) and “spokes” elsewhere (Aberdeen, Cumbernauld, Dunkeld, Edinburgh, Eigg, Forfar, Inverness, Lerwick, Portree, Renfrew, Thurso and Wick.). See plugplaylaw.com. All solicitors at Inksters are freelance consultants giving them more of the fees they generate” ; With thanks to Brian for several recommendations for some of the people in this blog post.
Orlando Conetta (Glasgow); Head of Product Engineering at Pinsent Masons; “With degrees in both law and computer science, he has specialized in AI and law for his entire career, and was the developer of TermFrame, an AI process platform.”
Chris O’Day (Edinburgh) CEO at The Cashroom Ltd; “Chris is a Chartered Accountant, having qualified at Deloitte and has had a significant impact at Cashroom over the years since joining in 2014. After joining Cashroom as a Management Accountant, his extensive experience in legal accounting saw him become Cashroom’s Client Services Director in 2017 – gaining significant insight as to what is valuable to clients and to the legal industry, before taking on the CEO role in 2021 to drive the next phase of Cashroom’s growth. Chris finds endless opportunities and has a key focus on challenging the status quo in order to drive continuous improvement across the business and the services Cashroom provide to the Legal Sector. Chris believes that being client-centric is key to any service business – understanding what lawyers want and need and ensuring Cashroom deliver the best customer experience that is efficient, compliant and risk-free.”; “Chris loves to spend time with his wife and three children. He enjoys playing golf and football and also enjoys coaching his son’s football team.”
Chloe Kennedy (Glasgow) Manager, Deloitte Legal Management Consulting | Digital Transformation | Legal Technology & Operations – “Chloe is a Manager within Deloitte’s Legal Management Consulting team. Experienced in identifying and implementing technology solutions and related processes to enhance efficiency within law firms and corporate legal departments, with a particular focus on enterprise legal management. Chloe is also highly experienced in building solutions using various technologies. Particular tools worth noting: Contract Express; HighQ Collaborate; BRYTER; DocuSign; Fliplet; Kira Systems and Litera Transact. Chloe was formerly a Senior Legal Technologist within Ashurst’s “NewLaw” legal operations division”
Callum Murray (Edinburgh) Founder / CEO Amiqus Resolution Amiqus is the UK’s most trusted staff and client onboarding platform. Supporting Government, regulators and hundreds of organisations across sectors to provide advice, products and services digitally.
Rob Aberdein (Edinburgh) Changing the world of Professional Services with Progeny;
Lewis Quinn (Edinburgh) Trainee Solicitor (IP – Data Protection) & Legal Technologist at Thorntons Law LLP I have brought these skills into my legal career and developed significant experience in the legal technology sector – harnessing people and project management to deliver innovation to legal teams. I continue to utilise and develop this experience whilst undertaking my traineeship.
Matthew Jewell (Edinburgh) Snr Legal Technologist | PhD(c) | CIPP/E; I work at the interface of law and technology, mainly on legal service innovation and methods of building trusted digital identity. I work in the governance, risk and compliance team at Amiqus (an award winning tech for good company), teach at the University of Edinburgh and I’m an Accredited Legal Technologist (Law Society of Scotland).
Steven Hill (Glasgow) Managing Director at Denovo Business Intelligence Ltd – Steven has been an integral part of the legal tech industry for over 18 years. From Denovo’s base in Glasgow, Steven has pioneered our legal software efficiency with which we now deliver leading-edge Case Management, Legal Accounts and Outsourced Cashroom Services to hundreds of law firms throughout the UK; Steven is also recognised as an accredited Legal Technologist by the Law Society of Scotland. One of only a handful of people in Scotland to be given this unique, professional status. This accreditation gives recognition to those who have outstanding expertise and knowledge in the field of legal technology.
Warren Wander (Edinburgh, Manchester); Managing Director at LawWare Ltd and CEO of LawCloud Ltd; A passionate business owner and inspired technologist with strong commercial acumen focused on helping law firms make the most of IT through traditional, emerging and Cloud platforms; Accredited Legal Technologist
Crawford Hawley-Groat (Edinburgh) – CIO / CTO & Technology Strategy Advisor; “Senior IT Consultant at Quorum Network Resources Ltd”; “I am a senior IT leader with over 20 years experience of providing technical solutions within the UK legal and professional services sectors. I’m passionate about designing and developing IT solutions and technical strategies that support business strategy rather than being technology for the sake of the IT team only.”
George Blair (Glasgow) Chairman & Founder at Denovo Business Intelligence; “I have seen and provided solutions for all the major challenges and changes that the legal profession has faced during my career. And as with every other challenge the legal sector has faced within this period, winning firms will find that the key to success lies firstly in managing their risks effectively and secondly, in grabbing the many exciting opportunities that occur as a result of change.”
James Bulpitt. (Edinburgh) Scots law banking & finance lawyer and legal technologist; I am Scots law qualified solicitor working in both the banking and legal technology arenas. I am also a legal technologist with a focus on legal processes and have lead the delivery of a successful legal technology project to a commercial UK bank. The project won the Innovation Award at the Law Awards of Scotland 2020 and was highly commended in the 2020 Lawyer Awards ‘Most Innovative Use of Technology’ category.
Gary Sorley (Glasgow) Information Systems Director · Harper Macleod LLP, an award-winning & leading independent Scottish commercial & personal law firm with offices throughout Scotland.
Richard Harvey (Glasgow) IT Director, Harper Macleod LLP, an award-winning & leading independent Scottish commercial & personal law firm with offices throughout Scotland.
Sarah Blair (Dundee) “Director of Technology and Transformation at Thorntons Law LLP | Passionate about human centred design of services, people and process as much as technology itself.”; UKLTA (UK LegalTech Association) Board Member – Members Board; Vice Chair – Law Scot Tech Advisory Board
Graham Thoms (Dundee) Chief Information Officer at Morton Fraser MacRoberts LLP
Ally Thomson (Glasgow); Director at Hey Legal – “Ally is a former law firm partner and is now a non-practising Scottish lawyer who has worked in tech and online projects since 2005. He is the Senior Tutor of the “Introduction to the Legal Innovation and Technology” course on the Diploma in Legal Practice at the University of Glasgow. He is a former member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Technology Law and Practice Committee. Ally is the founder of Hey Legal, which provides learning and insight for lawyers, and is a member of the Lawscot Tech community. He leads a session in TCPD Module 1 on Legal Technology.”
Teigan Hunter (Edinburgh); Legal Technologist at CMS UK | First Class LLB (Hons) Graduate; “I am a Legal Tech Analyst at CMS. In this role, I explore and apply technology tools to improve how legal services are delivered. Following a training period, I will become a subject matter expert on a range of legal tools, including HighQ, Kira, LiteraTransact and Docusign, to support their operational use across the firm. My role is to encourage lawyers to embrace and embed legal tech into their ways of working with their teams and their clients.”
Katie Sloan (Glasgow) – Legal Technologist at Valla, a law tech start-up that has created a new platform to help people get their employment issues sorted. Before Valla, I worked as an employment lawyer in commercial firms and then gained tech knowledge by retraining as a software engineer at CodeClan. In my current role I combine the analytical and communication skills gained from my previous background.
Iain Brown (Glasgow) – – Innovation | Legal Operations | Resource Management | Legal Tech; formerly Head of Ashurst Advance’s Advanced Delivery Services which encompassed the firm’s team of c.100 legal analysts across Glasgow and Brisbane, supplemented by managed legal services capabilities in Cape Town.
Scott Brymer (Edinburgh); Coadjute | Delivery & Partner Lead | Business Development | Experienced in Delivering Customer Success | Property Industry Commentator; I have started working with Coadjute who are improving the conveyancing process end to end and making the property market work better for everyone.
Amira Pacia (Edinburgh); Legal Tech Analyst at CMS.
Joe Sparshatt. (Edinburgh); Senior Project Manager at Brodies LLP; Projects include working between Infrastructure, Business Services and Application Development, for a variety of clients in the Financial Services, Legal and SME sectors. Experience of working between different industry project environments, including PRINCE2, APMP and Agile.
Paul Ryan (Falkirk) Mobile and Web Apps For Legal;
Danae Shell (Edinburgh) Co-founder and CEO of Valla;
Deborah Lovell (Edinburgh) CTO | Lawyer and Partner in Commercial Real Estate | Renewable Energy | Development | Leasing | Property Tax Specialist
Steve Dalgleish (Edinburgh) Head of Technology at Shepherd and Wedderburn – “As Head of Technology, Steve is responsible for evaluating and implementing value-adding technology solutions. In 2020, he became the first non-lawyer to be accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a legal technology specialist.”
David Chalmers (Edinburgh) Smarter Working Lawyer at Shepherd and Wedderburn – “As a Smarter Working Lawyer, David works as a Solicitor and Legal Technologist in the Smarter Working Team at Shepherd and Wedderburn. He works across the firm to understand client needs, provide solutions, and deliver cost-effective, high-quality service to clients.”
At MLT Digital, rebranded from Moore Legal Technology which was founded in 2003, my amazing colleagues who are all helping our 100+ law firm customers succeed and make money from the internet, particularly with our AI-enhanced digital advertising expertise and our new CRM/Lead Management Software called “Reception”, led by our bosses Stephen Moore (Founder & CEO, top of the list above) and Gav Clark (Managing Director). Not all legal technologists in the strictest sense of the term but still helping contribute significant improvements to law firms and the lives of lawyers with their application of technology:-
- Anna Palmstierna (Glasgow) Data Analyst
- Caroline Weir (Edinburgh) Website Helpdesk Coordinator
- Chris Davidson (Glasgow and increasingly London), Business Development Director
- Daniel McWilliams (Glasgow) Full Stack Developer
- David Kerr (Glasgow) Strategic Director
- Dave Lyall, (Glasgow) SEO Manager
- David White, (Glasgow) PPC Manager
- Douglas Millar, (Glasgow) Head of Search / Performance (and fellow erstwhile AI enthusiast)
- Emma Islay Reavey, (Glasgow) Legal Content Marketer
- Emma Wyatt, (Glasgow) Digital Marketing Manager
- Euan Thomson, (Glasgow) SEO Executive
- Gav Clark (Glasgow) Managing Director
- Gav Ward (Glasgow) Projects Director (me)
- Simon McLaughlin (Glasgow) Account Manager
- Stephen Moore (Glasgow and increasingly London/nationwide), Founder and CEO
- William Milliken (Glasgow), Design
Molly Macgregor (Dundee) Customer Success Specialist at Juralio
Kevan Todd (Glasgow) Head Of Technology “An Accredited Legal Technologist with the Law Society of Scotland and certified Agile Project Manager, Kevan has worked in the Legal Sector for the last 16 years across Canada, Scotland and England, with a couple of months out traveling Europe in between. Kevan began his career as a Software Engineer before progressing to Head of IT/Technology roles where he has greatly expanded his knowledge and experience across the entire landscape of technology. Kevan is a great believer in bringing modern technology and engineering practices into the Legal sector and this fits perfectly with the overall ethos at Jones Whyte.” Kevan works alongside another leading Developer Mark Murray (Glasgow) and Operations and Strategy Director Ian McNaull (Glasgow).
Paul McRobb (Edinburgh) – Head Of Sales & Marketing at YourCashier – “Empowering Financial Excellence for Law Firms through Seamless Outsourced Legal Cashiering Solutions”
Gordon Smith (Edinburgh) Software Solution Manager at Brodies LLP, formerly Technical Delivery Manager at Zonal Retail Data Systems, Chief Technical Architect at Thomson Reuters Elite and Chief Technical Architect at Pilgrim Systems.
Grant Yuill (Glasgow)Head of Marketing at Denovo Business Intelligence Limited; Talks about #lawyer, #lawfirm, #legaltech, #marketing, and #legalsoftware; “I am an accomplished Senior Marketing/Brand Manager/Head of Dept who excels in driving and delivering future-focused business change within dynamic multichannel environments. Currently working in the tech industry with a fantastic team, reshaping the brand image and providing a clear strategic vision and direction for Denovo Business Intelligence.”
Mark McAuley (Glasgow) –
Simon Massey (Glasgow) – Founder and CEO | BrightDraft | DraftMotor | “Helping you draft more efficiently”; Fantastic advice here from Simon for keen entrepreneurs in the legal sector:-
Joe Cohen (Edinburgh / London) Former Head of Innovation at Dentons UK, Ireland & Middle East | Speaker; Talks about #legaltech and #innovation.
And last (for the moment) but certainly not least:-
Matt Leckie (Glasgow) Partner at Digby Brown LLP | Legal technology and innovation | Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law | APIL Accredited Senior Litigator | Personal injury lawyer
As you’ll see below, I’m on the look-out for further legal tech professionals and leaders to add to this list which will soon be available here via this Directory of Best Legal Technologist Specialists & Leaders in Scotland – if you know any others who really should feature here please let me know.
65+ Legal Technologist Specialists, Leaders & Advisers in England & Wales
Professor Richard Susskind OBE (London) President, Society for Computers and Law – “Professor Richard Susskind OBE is the world’s most cited author on the future of legal services. He is President of the Society for Computers and Law and, since 1998, has been Technology Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. His main area of expertise is the future of professional service and, in particular, the way that AI and other technologies are changing the work of lawyers. He advises leading professional firms, in-house legal departments, and governments and judiciaries around the world. In the 1980s, he wrote his doctorate on AI and the law at Balliol College, Oxford. Richard’s work has been translated into 18 languages and he has been invited to speak in over 60 countries. He has written ten books, including The Future of Law (1996), Tomorrow’s Lawyers (2013, 2017, 2023), The Future of the Professions (with D Susskind, 2015, 2022), and Online Courts and the Future of Justice (2019, 2021). He has also contributed more than 150 columns to The Times. In 2000, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen. In 2022, it was announced that His Majesty the King had approved Richard’s appointment as an Honorary King’s Counsel.” Find out more about Richard Susskind here. Would highly recommend you read at least one of his recent books and watch at least one of his lectures on YouTube if not already.
Jack Shepherd (London) Principal Business Consultant at iManage; Specialist in legal tech and knowledge management; Talks about #data, #legaltech, #legalindustry, and #legalinnovation “I practised as a restructuring and insolvency lawyer, before pivoting my career to drive change in the legal world, often through technology. I am focused on cutting through hype and focusing on the needs and motivations of the actual users of legal services and legal technologies.”; “I work on a range of legal technology initiatives, such as document management, knowledge management and transaction management. My work is around business aspects of projects, such as metadata design, change management / adoption, business analysis and strategy.” Jack also has a medium blog at https://jackwshepherd.medium.
Alex Herrity (Manchester) Director of Legal Solutions at adidas; Specialist in Legal Design, Legal Innovation & Legal Operations
Thomas Stone (Bristol); Legal technologist at TLT LLP ; Technology. Innovation. Data. Combined intelligently. Doing it how it’s always been done is not enough. That’s why the TLT FutureLaw team uses intelligent technology. To meet your needs, now and in the future.
Warren Wander (Manchester; Edinburgh); Managing Director at LawWare Ltd and CEO of LawCloud Ltd; A passionate business owner and inspired technologist with strong commercial acumen focused on helping law firms make the most of IT through traditional, emerging and Cloud platforms; Accredited Legal Technologist
Marta Matajz (London) – Director, Global Legal Solutions, KPMG Law
Tara L. Waters (London) – Partner @Ashurst | Global Chief Digital Officer;
Dominic Judge (London) – Head of Legal Technology at CMS UK – “A well-rounded and enthusiastic professional with 27 years’ experience working in the UK legal services industry. Adept in building and deploying legal tech solutions supporting businesses in the sourcing, assessment, integration and adoption of new services that enhance matter delivery.”
Vicki Milner (Bristol); Legal Operations Manager at Osborne Clarke | Legal Tech | Lawyer; I now work in legal technology in the Legal Operations team at Osborne Clarke. My primary focuses are to improve legal processes and help Osborne Clarke’s lawyers manage their delivery of work so it provides a better service for clients, is more efficient and streamlined and reduces risk. ITIL 4 Foundation certified.
James Thomas (Leeds/London); Partner, Global Head of Legal Technology and CTO of KPMG Law UK, part of KPMG LLP; Talks about #genai, #legalops, #legaltech, and #technology; “Having led KPMG’s Global Legal Technology initiative as part of KPMG International I returned to the UK to Head the UK firm’s Legal Technology & Innovation team and was named as one of the worlds top 10 legal technologists by the Financial Times in 2019.”
Olly Buxton (London) Legal Technology Specialist; Blogs via the Jolly Crontrarian https://jollycontrarian.com/
Jeremy Small (London) CEO and Founder at Jameson Legal and Jameson Legal Tech; Talks about #legaltech, #legalsearch, #recruitment, #legalinnovation, and #legalrecruitment; “I am the CEO and Founder of Jameson Legal, an award-winning international legal recruitment company and legal tech consultancy with offices in London, Dubai, and Hong Kong. Our clients include top US and UK law firms, sovereign wealth funds, fast growing tech companies, and major corporates.; I previously pursued a legal career with two major law firms in London including working as a private equity/M&A lawyer. I moved into legal recruitment in 2004 working initially in Singapore before establishing Jameson Legal in 2010. Together with my colleague Jon Bartman, I recently launched Jameson Legal Tech, an advisory consultancy working with legal technology companies to help them grow a global client base within the legal sector. In 2021 I was honoured to be appointed as a UK Ambassador to the European Legal Tech Association (ELTA); I am an advisor to & investor in a number of exciting tech/legal tech companies including App4Legal, Connectd, and Mediabrain.”
Alex Hutchinson (Manchester) – Helping law firms with IT Strategy & Direction + Supplier, Systems and Software Selection… Independent advisor, Freelancer and “expert for hire”.
Rowena Rix (London); Head of Legal Solutions at Mishcon de Reya; “Responsible for the Legal Solutions strategy at Mishcon de Reya including co-founding the firm’s Litigation and Transaction Support Hubs for the rapid deployment of products and solutions to legal teams and clients; Skills: Project Management · Policies & Procedures · Strategy · Operations Management · Operational Strategy · Innovation Management · Innovation Development · Creativity and Innovation · Change Management · Business Innovation”
Elliot White (London) Head of Innovation & Legal Tech – Addleshaw Goddard; “I’m an experienced operations leader, predominantly working in the legal technology and SaaS space. I help businesses to scale by building the operational foundations and framework for rapid and sustainable growth. My career originally began in law firms as a buyer and implementer of software and technology to affect business change. More recently I worked at HighQ, a high growth SaaS business, running a large part of the operations for the software delivery, client services and consultancy. I’ve always had a natural affinity for technology, I enjoy researching new tech and always seek to promote the vision of how technology can drive business change.”t
Marco Mendola (England); Community & Customer Success Lead at Majoto | Co-Host at The Law of Tech | Legal Innovation Editor at The Legal Technologist | I use design thinking to simplify contracts. “Passionate and creative legal innovator. I escaped from a traditional legal background, I am now more aligned with what I love to do. I use design thinking to simplify contracts and deliver legal services that put clarity, relationships, and accessibility first. I am the Community & Customer Success Lead at Majoto, a legal tech startup that automates contracts and makes them easy to understand and manage. I am responsible for ensuring the successful onboarding and satisfaction of new customers and managing and promoting Majoto’s beta community of legal innovators. Community Builder and Co-host at The Law of Tech, a media platform that supports, empowers, and connects the law and tech community through meaningful discussions and insights. Legal Innovation Editor at The Legal Technologist, a journal that showcases the latest trends and developments in the field.”
David Gilroy (Bristol); Managing Director of Stuff & Things at Conscious Solutions; I am a serial entrepreneur and experienced law firm marketing consultant
Rudi Kesic (London), Founder of the Lawtech365 Group, a leading legal tech entity. It offers a range of innovative technologies including Verify 365® Risk & Compliance Technology, DynamicID® Biometric Identity Verification, and the Lawyer 365 App. Lawtech 365 Group has been recognized as the “Fastest Growing Legal Technology Company in History” in 2022 and has expanded globally.
Emmanuel Annor-Agyei (London) Legal Technologist; Experienced document automation expert working for a global offshore law firm.
Joanna Day (Bristol) Legal Technologist at Burges Salmon LLP
Temi Cole (London) Legal Technologist & Legal Technology Specialist
Annest Jones (Manchester) Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard
Fergus Spence (London) Legal Technologist at Trowers & Hamlins with a background in law and project management.
Leo Tarn (Manchester) Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard
Luke Scragg (England) Legal Technologist (Company Commercial) at Eversheds Sutherland in the UK
Harriet W. (England) Legal Technologist at Simmons & Simmons in the UK
William (Will) van Zwanenberg (Greater Brighton & Hove); CEO of Visual Ratio, Legal Technologist and Researcher; “Having experience and training in both law and IT, I would ideally love to work within the burgening field of Legal Tech. I believe I have the right combination of skills to succeed in this area.”
Isaac-David Ingman (Newcastle); Legal Technologist at Norton Rose Fulbright | LLB Law Graduate 2019 | Former Legal Operations/Solutions Analyst; Talks about #legaldesign, #generativeai, #legalinnovation, #legaloperations, and #legaltechnology; Legal Technologist with a demonstrated history of work across Legal, Technology, Real Estate and Pharmaceutical sectors. Experienced in Legal Technology, Operations & Data Analysis.
Henrietta Redding (Salford) Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard
Russel James (Leeds) Senior Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard
Zoë Gundersen (Manchester) Senior Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard
Efua Irene Biney (London) Legal Technologist at Eversheds Sutherland
Joe Briault (London); Legal Technologist @ StructureFlow | LegalTech
Adepeju Adesanwo (Newcastle) Innovation and Legal Technologist | Legal Knowledge Engineer | Digital Intellectual Property | Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria
Jodie Hosmer (Norwich) Legal Operations | Process Design | Legal Transformation | Innovation | Legal Technology
Yee Xian Kong(England) Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Godddard | LLB Law Graduate (UK) ; A LLB law graduate with demonstrated interests in all things legal, technology, corporate and commercial, intellectual property, and competition. Currently in an innovation and legal technology role to explore the future of the legal industry.
Emma Pitcher (Manchester); Senior Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard
Mehwisch Khan (London); Legal Technologist
Esther Ng (Manchester); Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard | First Class Honours LLB Law Graduate from Queen’s University Belfast
Aiman M (Manchester) Innovation and Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard • 1st Class Honours
Ema (Dobos) Sanliturk (England) (Senior Legal Engineer @ Elevate)
Kathrin Shahroozi (London) Senior Legal Technologist at Penningtons Manches Cooper | Co-Founder, Legal Tech Initiative Austria | Speaker on Legal Innovation💡
Sabryna Scornaienchi (Leeds/Harrogate); Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard | First Class Law LLB (Hons) Graduate; Pillars/Seats Completed: Document Lifecycle (automation – Contract Express, HighQ), Products, Client Projects, Internal Efficiency, Research & Development, Legal Tech Consulting. Aligned to Internal Efficiency.
Ted Oliver (Manchester) Legal Technologist at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Alexander Gray (Manchester); Legal Technologist | Addleshaw Goddard LLP | LLB, University of Manchester
Will Lloyd (Manchester); Senior Legal Technologist (Associate) at Addleshaw Goddard, working within Innovation & Legal Technology.
William Preston (Birmingham); Enhancing legal service delivery through tech; Legal Technologist & Solicitor – Company, financial and commercial practicesLegal Technologist & Solicitor – Company, financial and commercial practices Skills: Legal Technology · Service Delivery · Communication · Analyze Information · Analytical Skills · Document Review · Contractor Management · Artificial Intelligence (AI) · Legal Operations · Change Management · Technical Solution Design · Strategy
Jodie Hosmer (Norwich/London) – Head of Legal Operations at Mills & Reeve. “Legal Operations | Process Design | Legal Transformation | Innovation | Legal Technology” – “I work with clients to understand the business problems they are facing and help them adopt new ways of working; design high quality legal products and technology services to support them in solving those problems to enable them to become more strategic and efficient. This ranges from streamlining legal processes to producing bespoke packages for clients.”
Lewis Bretts (Manchester then New York) – Group Managing Director – US, LOD + SYKE at LOD. “I believe that the GC’s, CFO’s and CEO’s of the future will need legal service providers that can provide an integrated mix of people, services and technology. Our plan with LOD+SYKE in the US is to do just that; deliver top quality interim legal talent, outstanding managed services, and market leading legal operations and technology consultancy across the country. Please do reach out if you’re interested in working with or for us.”
Tony Randle (Birmingham) – Partner & Head of Client Strategy at Shoosmiths.
Emma Jackson (Birmingham) – Head of Legal Technology & Data at Mills & Reeve. “Multi-award winning innovation specialist with 20+ years’ experience.”
Ben Mitchell (London) Commercial Leader – Legal Technologist – Legal-tech Software Solution Strategist
Blessing Akinsehinwa, MCArb. Legal Technologist | Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, Swansea University, United Kingdom
Kareena Bhatia (Bristol) Senior Legal Engineer at Osborne Clarke; “I am currently working as a Solutions Assistant Manager at Osborne Clarke. I have previously worked in-house and at a law clinic as a paralegal and volunteer advisor, respectively. These roles have allowed me to excel at legal research, filling in legal forms and assisting the legal team…I founded my legal blogging platform – http://www.lawfullyyourskk.com/ to share my journey and to promote diversity in the legal industry. Additionally, I host a webinar series via Stream Yard – ‘Koffee with KK’ – broadcasting on YouTube and Facebook with legal experts. This has been viewed by over 700 law students.”
Thomas Gawda (London) Legal Technology and Innovation Officer at Macfarlanes; Legal tech and innovation professional working to bring together law and technology. Skilled in developing and maintaining various legal technologies, including data analytics, robotic process automation and AI. Creative problem solver committed to finding innovative solutions to complex challenges. Drop a message and let’s connect!
Christopher Chan (Liverpool) Senior Legal Technologist at Trowers & Hamlins; I am an experienced Legal Engineer with a wide range of knowledge about the legaltech landscape and expertise in using legaltech tools such as Kira, Neota and HighQ and have also been involved in numerous pilots with other legaltech tools.
Matt Edmonds (London) Senior Legal Technologist; Digital Specialist at Ashurst
Maria Petrat (London) Legal Technologist at Eversheds Sutherland
Sophiya Volkova (London) Legal tech professional
Faeqa Chowdhury(London); Future Trainee Solicitor at DLA Piper | Ex-Google | AI Legal Technologist | GROW Mentoring | Law LLB Graduate from University of Warwick
Laura Sanders (Manchester) Senior Manager, EMEIA Legal Tech Consulting EY Law; As a Manager in the Legal Tech Consulting, EMEIA team at EY, I specialise in delivering technology solutions to in-house clients to drive demonstrable efficiency, reduce risk and improve experience. This includes selection, preparation, implementation and after-care of various technology types including Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), spend management, document automation and machine learning. My previous experience also includes implementing technologies within law firms such as HighQ, Contract Express, DocuSign, Kira and RAVN. I also have experience managing teams and working in Legal Managed Services/ALSPs, both working in legal services delivery and improving our go-to-market proposition using technology.
Shaznee Seraj Ahmad (Newcastle) Legal Technologist at Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) | LLM in Legal Practice (Solicitors) and LLB (Hons)
Conlan Wilkinson (Manchester); Legal Technologist
Craig Newton (Sunderland); Senior Legal Design Engineer | Human Centred Designer; Legal Design Engineer with experience of working across multiple functions within a law firm including legal and development roles. Focuses include UX and UI, information design, service design and product design.
Ellie Barnes (Manchester); AI Legal Technologist at Clyde & Co | First Class Law Graduate
Savvas Skordellis (London); Legal Engineer at Deloitte Legal | LegalTech | Innovation; As a Legal Engineer at Deloitte, I am a versatile and dynamic professional with a unique combination of legal expertise and technological acumen. I possess a deep understanding of both the legal and technical aspects of the field, allowing me to provide innovative solutions to a wide range of stakeholders.
Martin Stockdale (Manchester); Partner at Kennedys | Legal technologist | Data advocate | DataIQ 100 2021 & 2022
Gbenga Fajobi (Swansea, Wales); Legal Technologist | Legal Analyst | LegalTech Professional | Seeking Exciting Opportunities; A LegalTech professional specializing in Smart contracts, information technology law, data privacy, data protection, and corporate governance.
Wing Yan Ng (Edinburgh); Senior Legal Technologist at Freshfields | Head of BD & Events/Sponsor Relations Manager at STRIVE | Vice Chair at BBYTA; “Wing Yan Ng is a Law and LPC graduate from the University of Aberdeen and University of Law, Manchester. She is currently working as a legal technologist at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. Over the course of the LPC, she became interested in legal technology, conducted research, had conversations with industry experts and ultimately decided to pursue a career in that area. In her spare time, she works as a Business Development Consultant where she assists candidates in seeking career paths in law, including legal technology.”
Suzanne Gado (Bristol); Legal technologist and knowledge lawyer in the Corporate Team at a UK top 20 law firm; I am passionate about the application of technology to the legal sector to improve client service delivery and working practices. As a former M&A and Corporate lawyer, I work with the Corporate Team to improve our processes and drive forward change initiatives. I co-led the successful firm-wide roll out of e-signature technology which has been business critical during the pandemic. We were early adopters of this technology in the legal sector. I am an active member of the legal tech and knowledge management communities.
Kurtis Windrow (Liverpool) 🚀 Legal Technologist @ Eversheds Sutherland | ⚽️ Football Academy Coach & Vice-Chair @ MSB Woolton FC
Konstantinos Georgiadis (Leicester); Senior Legal Technologist at echo.legal; “I work with lawyers to make their work safer, faster and easier. Right now, I work as a Senior Legal Technologist at echo.legal. Before joining echo, I worked at KPMG Law and Ashurst. I primarily help clients implement and use HighQ and Contract Express, though I have broad experience with many kinds of tools, including AI and data analysis applications. I am also a programmer with experience in Python and JavaScript so if I cannot find a tool that fits a task at hand, I have previously developed applications to tie in with APIs and expand the functionality of existing tools. My background is in law. I hold an LLM in International Commercial Law and LLB from the University of Leicester.”
India Preston (Bristol); Director of Platform Solutions • LPM Evangelist • Legal Technologist • Team Builder • Legal Tech Thought Leader • Ex-Linklaters • LPC, PMP; “I’m a first generation magic circle Legal Project Manager, early adopter of LegalTech and consultant to the legal profession. I have broad project management, technological and management expertise. I build teams, I listen and I create processes that work.”
Rich Folsom (London) Data lawyer / legal technologist; “I am a technology and data lawyer. I’ve been helping people buy and sell technology, services, and data – mostly in a regulated environment – for over 15 years. This spans both advisory and transactional services – but the common thread is helping people understand, manage, avoid and allocate the risks that arise in these areas.”
Olivia Campbell (Manchester) Senior Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard
As you’ll see below, I’m on the look-out for further legal tech professionals to add to this list – if you know any others who really should feature here please let me know.
Top / (Only?) Legal Technologists in Northern Ireland
Edward Sohn (Belfast, Northern Ireland) Lawyer, Technologist, Product Manager, Managed Service Leader – “Investing into the humans of Factor | Global Head of Capabilities”; “I am a lawyer, a technologist, a product manager, and a managed service leader. I seek to advance change in the legal industry by delivering practical scale and quality through managed services. My contribution to Factor is in the career development, talent management and capacity creation of the humans who call Factor home.”
Jude Copeland (Belfast, Northern Ireland) – Legal Review Manager & Associate (NI) | Legal Technology Group, Cleaver Fulton Rankin | D&I Speaker; “Solicitor Advocate | Legal Technologist | Diversity & Inclusion Fan | Amateur Historian | Gardener of questionable talent”
Esther Ng (Belfast, Northern Ireland now Manchester)”Legal Technologist at Addleshaw Goddard | First Class Honours LLB Law Graduate from Queen’s University Belfast” ; “I am passionate about driving innovation in the legal industry and pushing boundaries beyond what was previously thought possible.””
Ruth Paterson (Belfast, Northern Ireland) Chief Legal and Corporate Officer at Idox plc; Talks about #plcs, #leadership, #legalcounsel, and #peopleandculture
Emma Megoran (Belfast, Northern Ireland) – Legal Tech Solutions Specialist at Allen & Overy
Orlaith Stewart (Belfast, Northern Ireland) – Legal Tech Solutions Specialist at Allen & Overy
Dublin/Ireland’s Top Legal Technologists
To start this list of top legal technologists in Dublin and across Ireland we have Aengus Mc Morrow “Territory Account Executive | SMB UK High-Tech at Salesforce”; With “7yrs experience in Legal technology space; in 2018 responsible for book of business worth over €3M across Large law firms and Corporate In-house legal teams in Southern & Northern Ireland.” – aiming to expand this list in due course along with the US, Australia and Canada in upcoming blog posts and associated #FollowFriday LinkedIn recommendations.
Some of the Top Legal Tech Companies in the UK
Here’s a list of some of the top legal tech companies in the UK, along with a brief overview of their contributions to the field:
- Lawtech 365 Group (Birmingham): Founded in 2018 and led by Rudi Kesic, Founder of the Lawtech365 Group – this company has emerged as a leading legal tech entity. It offers a range of innovative technologies including Verify 365® Risk & Compliance Technology, DynamicID® Biometric Identity Verification, and the Lawyer 365 App. Lawtech 365 Group has been recognized as the “Fastest Growing Legal Technology Company in History” in 2022 and has expanded globally.
- Farewill (London): Established in 2015, Farewill specializes in will-writing and probate application assistance, blending technology with legal services to simplify dealing with death. Farewill has been featured in several high-growth lists and has received significant equity funding.
- Juro (London): Juro, founded in 2015, offers a contract platform that utilizes automation to make contract processes frictionless and accessible. It is used by businesses and solicitors for contract negotiation, tracking, approval, signing, and storing. Juro has raised substantial equity funding and expanded its operations to the US and Europe.
- Legl (London): Started in 2015, Legl aims to digitalize and automate operational work in the UK legal sector. Its platform provides solutions for payments, risk and compliance, and client onboarding. The company has attended accelerators and received significant equity investment for its international expansion and workflow enhancement.
- Luminance (Cambridge): Founded in 2015, Luminance developed an AI software platform for document processing to support legal services. It offers automated contract drafting, due diligence, and eDiscovery. The company has received equity funding and has been awarded The Queen’s Awards for Innovation in 2019.
- Thirdfort (London): This company, started in 2017, developed a software platform for automating ID and document verification, anti-money laundering checks, and Source of Funds checks, primarily serving law firms and estate agents. Thirdfort has received significant equity funding and grants for its growth.
- InfoTrack UK (London): Incorporated in 2013, InfoTrack UK focuses on facilitating the digital transformation of conveyancing. It develops tools for local authority searches, identity verification, funds, and land registry checks. The company has raised equity funding and achieved a 20% scaleup status.
- Apperio (London): Started in 2011, Apperio offers budgeting software for corporates, private funds, and law firms. It has partnered with notable clients like Allen and Overy and Network Rail. Apperio has attended accelerators and raised equity funding for its expansion into the US market.
- ThoughtRiver (London): Founded in 2016, ThoughtRiver provides contract-checking software known as a Contract Acceleration Platform (CAP). It has clients like Deloitte and G4S and has raised equity capital for its growth. The company also received grants and attended the Upscale accelerator.
- Clarilis (Warwick): Established in 2011, Clarilis operates a software platform for deep automation of legal documents, streamlining the process of contract drafting. It serves clients in banking, finance, real estate, and the legal sector. The company has experienced rapid growth and received equity funding for its expansion.
These companies and their respective founders/leaders are shaping the future of legal technology in the UK, driving innovation and efficiency in the legal sector through their cutting-edge solutions and platforms.
For more leading legal tech companies in the UK click here
The Future of Legal Tech
The horizon for legal tech is broad and promising. AI and machine learning are expected to become more sophisticated, offering unprecedented tools for legal analysis and decision-making. The future of legal tech is not just about new tools, but a new way of thinking about law and technology as inseparable partners in delivering excellent legal services to clients.
Legal Technologist Resources
For those interested in diving deeper into the world of legal tech, see our list of some of the best legal tech suppliers to law firms here and some of our blog posts on our homepage here. I’d also recommend you follow Colin Levy here, Alex Su here and Brian Inkster here together with his posts on his The Time Blawg site here.
See also these useful legal technologist resources:-
- Accredited Legal Technologists | Law Society of Scotland
- What does it take to be a legal technologist? – Legal Futures
- How to become… A legal technologist – Sunderland Software City
- The New Job in Town: What is a Legal Technologist? | Josef
- What is a legal technology professional? | AllAboutLaw
- AG puts faith in next generation of legal technologists | Addleshaw Goddard LLP
- What is Legal Technology? Definition, Benefits, and Examples (from Clio)
- A day in the life of a legal technologist – Eversheds Sutherland
- Top 10 ‘legal business technologists’
You may want to do further reading around any of these topics or keywords: Legal Tech, Law Tech, AI for Law Firms, Legal Technologists, Legal Innovation, Law Firm Technology, Legal AI, Blockchain in Law, Legal Data Analytics.
Just the Tip of the Iceberg
The individuals and innovations featured on this page above represent just the tip of the iceberg in the vast ocean of legal tech. Their work is crucial in shaping a more efficient, accessible, and equitable legal system for all. We encourage our readers to explore the field of legal tech and witness first-hand how technology is transforming the law.
Know any other Great Legal Technologists?
Know anyone else who should be included above? Let me know here please – I’d be very grateful in helping to expand this into one of the most useful resources on some of the best legal technologists in the UK.
