Gav Ward, British Legal Technologist, Investor, Jurist, Futurist, Legal Marketer & Digital Strategist for Law Firms

Glasgow's 27+ Top Legal Technologists, Scotland's 52+ Top Legal Technologists, UK's 107+ Top Legal Technologists

Gav Ward, British Legal Technologist, Investor, Jurist, Futurist, Legal Marketer & Digital Strategist for Law Firms

Gav Ward is a British legal technologist, digital strategist, investor, jurist and visionary thinker, renowned for his expertise in legal publishing, legal technology adoption, digital marketing and artificial intelligence. As Director at MLT Digital and Founder of multiple legal blog and law directory platforms, including WardblawG and Five Fantastic Lawyers®, Ward has earned international recognition for empowering law firms to enhance their digital presence and harness emerging technologies. He is also the Author of the The Gav Ward Code and Creator of Ward's Law, frameworks that inspire innovation and ethical progress in the modern era.

Director at MLT Digital

Currently a senior Director at MLT Digital (formerly known as Moore Legal Technology), Ward leads strategic digital initiatives for law firm clients that enable lawyers to enhance their online presence, generate better business online, and adapt to emerging technologies. He helps determine clients’ requirements to steer the strategic direction of the brief to achieve their specific commercial goals and is driven to achieve great results and maximise ROI for clients. His role at MLT Digital includes helping law firm clients to succeed, with legal online business generation through advanced marketing techniques and technological solutions.¹

Founder of Legal Tech Blog WardblawG

Formerly a practising lawyer, Ward transitioned into legal publishing and legal tech, utilising his legal expertise to address the digital needs of the legal industry. Recognising a need for practical resources for law firms navigating digital transformation, Ward founded this very site, WardblawG, a blog dedicated to discussing developments in legal technology, digital marketing, and industry innovations. Through WardblawG, with over 50,000 followers on social channels, Ward shares insights on topics such as legal technology, case management, legal operations and the potential of AI in legal practice. He has been recently invited to become a legal technology awards judge and is featured in The Legal Technologist's Legal Operations Index. ²³ His blog has become a valued resource for law firms and legal professionals aiming to improve their use of legal technology and being able to engage effectively with AI in their law firm.

Advocate for Legal Technology Adoption within Law Firms

Ward is also an advocate for legal technology adoption within law firms. He promotes solutions such as AI-driven legal tools and legal case management software, all aimed at enhancing law firms' efficiency and client service capabilities. In line with these efforts, Ward has contributed to building a directory of legal technologists, enabling professionals to connect, collaborate, and share best practices within the legal tech community.⁴⁵

Founder of Five Fantastic Lawyers® ("FFL"), one of the World's Leading Legal Directories

Gav Ward also launched Five Fantastic Lawyers®, one of the world's leading legal directories that identifies and recommends top legal professionals based on a rigorous five-point review process. Formerly known as YouBlawg as set up in 2010, Five Fantastic Lawyers® combines legal web research and client feedback to deliver reliable recommendations across specialisations, providing users with a streamlined way to find trusted legal professionals. The platform has grown steadily, attracting over one million views and establishing itself as a trusted resource within the legal community.⁶

The directory has received notable recognition for its contributions to connecting clients with high-quality legal expertise. According to Off Duty Law, Five Fantastic Lawyers is useful for those seeking reputable legal professionals.⁷ The platform has also been mentioned by specific law firms, with Devon Williamson, Founder & CEO of DevonLaw, PLLC recognised as one of five fantastic lawyers for personal injury law in Nashville, highlighting the directory's reach in the United States.⁸ In an article on IPS News Business, Five Fantastic Lawyers was featured among the top legal directories globally, further cementing its position as a key legal directory resource in the legal field.⁹ Additionally, the California News Observer reports that Ward has helped contribute to the legal tech community by listing over 230 leading legal technologists.¹⁰ As highlighted by Law Firm Local, Five Fantastic Lawyers® recently celebrated a major milestone, adding its first 200 Fantastic Lawyers, which underscores its commitment to quality and comprehensive representation in the legal marketplace.¹¹

Further endorsements of the platform’s effectiveness come from a variety of industry publications. Solonews provided an in-depth analysis of online law firm rating systems, recognising Five Fantastic Lawyers for its credibility in law firm ratings and client feedback.¹² Other sources, such as CliffsNotes and Justia, note the platform’s consistency in maintaining high standards across various legal services.¹³¹⁴ With its presence in directories and numerous law firms’ recognition, Five Fantastic Lawyers has firmly established itself as one of the go-to resources for those in need of professional legal expertise.¹⁵¹⁶

Founder of Personal Injury Legal Publishing Site Accident Claims Blawg

Drawing from his personal injury legal experience at Maclay Murray & Spens, Gav Ward also founded Accident Claims Blawg (formerly known as Personal Injury Claims Blawg) in 2010. This online platform has since become a leading resource on personal injury law, recently surpassing 850 blog posts. The site offers accessible, jurisdiction-specific guidance on topics like workplace accidents, motor vehicle claims, product liability, and medical negligence, tailored to the UK, US, and Australia. Featuring AI-designed mascots for user-friendly navigation, Accident Claims Blawg aims to demystify legal information and has helped empower its 65,000+ visitors to date to make informed decisions about potential claims before consulting a lawyer.¹⁹

Founder of 10 Other Legal Blogs

Gav Ward is also the Founder and Editor of 10 additional legal blogs, including Climate Change Blawg, IP Blawg and Scots Law Blog to name a few (you'll find all via the Starter Pack links below). These platforms cover a diverse range of legal topics, offering insights and resources to support legal professionals and raise awareness of key issues in specialised areas of law.

Gav Ward's Bluesky Starter Packs

In 2024, he also highlighted to lawyers the growing potential of Bluesky as a decentralised social media platform. In his recent article, Bluesky for Lawyers: 5 Tips & Legal Starter Packs²⁰, Ward outlines practical strategies for legal professionals to optimise their use of the platform. These include tailored starter packs designed to help lawyers establish a strong presence and effectively engage with their audiences. His insights have resonated widely, with figures such as Caroline Reach, Director of Practice Management at the North Carolina Bar Association, sharing links to Ward's comprehensive eight legal sector starter packs in her own guide, What Lawyers Need to Know About the Bluesky Social Media Platform²¹. This collaboration highlights the increasing recognition of Bluesky as an innovative and versatile tool for legal practices seeking to diversify their social media strategies.

The momentum behind Bluesky as a tool for the legal sector has been further underscored in Caroline Hill's article, Legaltech Flocks to Bluesky²², where she highlights the enthusiasm of key professionals embracing the platform. Hill quotes LawTech and Legal Ops professional Chris Grant, who remarked on LinkedIn²³: “I’m not jumping ship, but I am following in the footsteps of Gav Ward and Helen Burness over on Bluesky Social – #spreadingthelove!” Grant’s comments reflect the growing trend among legal professionals who see Bluesky as an innovative complement to their existing digital strategies.

Author of The Gav Ward Code and Ward's Law

Gav Ward is also a visionary thinker, innovator, and author of The Gav Ward Code🌌 24 —a framework of ten guiding principles aimed at inspiring intellectual exploration, technological advancement, and philosophical inquiry in the modern age. Rooted in interconnectedness, ethical progress, and the pursuit of timeless wisdom, Ward’s work examines humanity’s evolving place in a universe shaped by AI and quantum computing. He also coined the term Ward’s Law, a conceptual legal framework promoting interconnectedness, exploration, and ethical innovation. Ward's Law suggests the need for better and ethical global governing laws to ensure fairness, accountability, and sustainability in technological progress to guide innovation responsibly and connect ideas globally for certain practice areas and situations, not all, and indeed there are risks and dangers if taken too far. As both a mindset and a movement, it serves as a call-to-action for inventors, scientists, and visionaries to address modern challenges and build a better world.

Founder of Climate Blawg and Thesis on Curing the Climate Crisis

Gav Ward, founder of Climate Blawg, co-authored the article Curing the Climate Crisis alongside inventor Corey Cottrell.

Coining of Lemley’s Law Regarding AI Copyright Litigation Trends

Gav Ward also coined the term Lemley’s Law, a new empirical observation exploring trends in AI copyright litigation. Following debate and discussion with Professor Mark A. Lemley, William H. Neukom Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, Lemley’s Law posits that the number of AI copyright lawsuits doubles approximately every 18 months, drawing a parallel to Moore’s Law in computing.

Ward initiated the discussion through social media, proposing a connection between generative AI and copyright’s practical lifespan in an era of accelerating technological progress. His hypothesis culminated in an article on his other legal blog, Intellectual Property Blawg, coining Lemley’s Law and addressing its implications for copyright law.

Ward further contributed to the dialogue by publishing a complementary thesis, Copyright’s Practical Lifespan in a World of Accelerating Technological Progress (see undernote within article), which examines the evolving relevance of creative content and calls for reforms to existing copyright frameworks.

Founder of the #AyeGavel Campaign for Gavels in Scottish Courts

Gav Ward is also the founder of the #AyeGavel campaign, a light-hearted yet meaningful initiative aimed at introducing gavels into the Scottish Courts system. The campaign seeks to combine tradition and modernity, highlighting the symbolic value of gavels in enhancing courtroom formality while fostering dialogue on Scotland’s legal heritage. Through this initiative, Ward has encouraged legal professionals and stakeholders to consider innovative ways to blend tradition with contemporary practices in the Scottish legal system.

Follow, Connect and Say Hello on Social Media Channels:-

Connect on LinkedIn , Twitter and Bluesky:-

@GavWard on Bluesky

@WardblawG Legal Tech News on Bluesky

@FF-Lawyers Legal Directory on Bluesky

Personal Life

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family including his long-suffering wife Gill, and children Lucy and Rory. He enjoys blogging, tennis, golf, badminton, reading and watching fantasy fiction including Lord of the Rings, and walking Rodger and Rizzo. His favourite quote is "Aim for the moon; if you miss you'll land among the stars."

Testimonials

Below is a selection of testimonials kindly shared with me over the years by thoughtful and perceptive individuals—most dating back 10 to 15 years. These acknowledgments will primarily serve either as a legacy for my children to read in the future or as a source of future embarrassment - a beacon of hope, inspiration and perhaps understanding, like the green light at the end of The Great Gatsby or the green lighthouse captured in a painting brought back from Bali:-

"He was always very very helpful, kind and patient. A pleasure to work with. Insightful. Knowledgeable and caring. A lovely human being."

"He has a keen grasp of the way that connection and influence are increasingly important."

"Intellectual and probing exchanges with Gavin have always been insightful and I am unremittingly impressed with his ability to speak with authority on technical and highly topical legal and social media-related expanses."

"Very imaginative and creative."

"Wow, Gav - What a fantastic post. Thoughtful, sharp, and so-well executed. Well done!"

" I am sure WardblawG is the start of a great media empire in legal publishing"

"Gavin’s eponymous site has gone from a standing start to a “big presence” in a short period of time. Perhaps this is no surprise as his student dissertation is republished under the heading “How to dominate the Internet”. He has also published a guide on how to write a first class dissertation."

"The post I wrote for your site was far more successful than any other post I’ve ever done."

“The great thing about Gavin and his way of business is that he really gets that giving tends to result in people giving back – he is happy to promote others and other resources in the knowledge, but not the requirement, that they will naturally want to help him.”

"I am very impressed with his dynamism and enthusiasm for getting things done."

"Fantastic Service. Went above and beyond."

Gav Ward's Goal of Being One of the World's Leading Consultants to the Best Lawyers and Legal Professionals

His goal is to become one of the world's leading consultants to the best lawyers and legal professionals (who genuinely want to help people or businesses with their legal problems) to generate more business and improve their online marketing. Working with clients, publishing great legal content, and ensuring their law firm is successful is what drives him.

His contributions reflect a commitment to empowering the legal sector to embrace digital transformation and navigate the challenges of modern practice with innovative solutions.