- £3 million funding to new providers of innovative UK lawtech
programme
- agreement with technology start-up incubator CodeBase, and
legal tech community Legal Geek
- boost for economic growth by building on UK’s £25 billion
legal services industry
The news is another boost to the UK’s thriving legal services
market which is the second largest in the world, employing more
than 300,000 people and worth around £25 billion to the economy.
The government-backed LawtechUK programme plays an important part
in this innovation and the new providers announced today (15
March) will continue to set the country apart as a leader in
emerging technologies.
CodeBase is one of the country’s largest incubators which has
helped hundreds of start-ups grow and scale up. They will work
with Legal Geek which runs events and programmes to connect legal
businesses and the technology sector.
Together they will showcase the UK as a leading place for lawtech
innovation, raising the quality of start-ups and generating
industry-level views to shape the country’s lawtech agenda.
They will also build on LawtechUK’s success and further support
the work of the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce, an industry-led body
which promotes the use of English law alongside digital legal
innovations worldwide.
Justice Minister said:
The UK is a world leader in delivering legal services and
expertise, and our ongoing investment in new technologies will
make sure we are continuing to lead the way in advances and new
ways of working
CodeBase and Legal Geek bring a wealth of experience and
knowledge of LawtechUK that will nurture new, cutting-edge
innovation in the UK.
Stephen Coleman, OBE, CEO of CodeBase, said:
Together with our delivery partners Legal Geek, who are renowned
for delivering top-tier legal events, we are eager to push the
boundaries of innovation and transformation in the legal
industry.
We truly believe that LawtechUK will have a significant impact on
the future of the legal sector, and we feel privileged to be
leading the charge in this endeavour.
Beth Fellner, Legal Geek Director, said:
We will be working in partnership with CodeBase to deliver a
transformational programme of activity that will engage, inspire
and educate.
Legal Geek will ensure LawtechUK develops the legal sector
nationwide, equipping organisations of all sizes with the
culture, expertise and confidence to innovate.
LawtechUK is a government-backed initiative, launched in 2019
when Tech Nation, a leading scale-up network and growth platform
for tech companies, was tasked with incubating LawtechUK and
driving its objectives forward with an initial £2 million
investment. It provides resources, programmes and courses to
promote new ways of delivering and accessing legal services.
LawtechUK success stories include the Lawtech Sandbox - a
programme helping UK founders and legal businesses develop new
products including the development of software to help businesses
detect risks of potential legal disputes with stakeholders.
CodeBase and Legal Geek were awarded funding following a
competition process, and will take over from Tech Nation, the
firm which has delivered LawtechUK for the past 3 years. They
will take over LawtechUK from 1 April 2023.
The LawtechUK programme will continue to be supported by the
expert LawtechUK Panel.
Notes to editorsCodeBase
CodeBase is a tech ecosystem support organisation that has
supported over 500 startups and scaleups, who have collectively
raised over £4 billion. Codebase is committed to promoting
collaboration in tech innovation, across startups, scaleups,
corporates, governments, academia and the third sector. Home to a
thriving community of entrepreneurs and innovators, CodeBase
provides space for startups to grow, delivers expert educational
programmes and industry accelerators, and fosters connections
through bridge programmes, events, meetups, and mentorship
matching.
Legal Geek
Legal Geek is a global community of legal professionals and
lawtech enthusiasts dedicated to promoting innovation and
technology in the legal industry. Founded in 2015, Legal Geek has
quickly grown to become one of the world’s largest lawtech
communities, with events and initiatives held across the globe.
The company’s flagship event, the Legal Geek Conference, brings
together 2500 legal professionals and lawtech startups from 66
countries for a day of networking, learning, and collaboration.
