LawTechUK Panel Adds Five New Members

LawtechUK, the Government-backed initiative that operates within Tech Nation, has chosen five new members to join its advisory board, AKA the LawtechUK Panel. The group’s aim is to help transform the UK’s legal sector through technology and new approaches to solving long-standing barriers to A2J.

The group is not just talking however, and is working on several real world projects, the most substantive of which is probably the development of an ADR/ODR platform to allow SMEs to resolve late payment disputes. They’re also creating a Sandbox for legal tech companies, among other projects.

The new members, many of which are well-known to the legal tech community in the UK, are:

  • Professor Katie Atkinson is Dean of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Computer Science and professor of computer science at the University of Liverpool. She has worked on AI projects with several law firms, including Weightmans. 
  • Chris Grant is Lawtech Director at Barclays Ventures and has extensive experience working with the legal tech community and wider sector innovation through the UK-wide Eagle Labs initiative. 
  • Professor Sarah Green is Law Commissioner for Commercial and Common Law at the Law Commission of England and Wales. She has a background in consulting and technology and is ‘working to ensure the law keeps evolving’. 
  • Brian Liu is CEO of BizCounsel and co-founder of LegalZoom.
  • Julia Salasky is the founder of Legl and CrowdJustice.

They were appointed following an open application process. The extended Panel will ‘provide insights, challenge and support for the work of LawtechUK, bringing their extensive experience in technology, academia, entrepreneurship, law and business’, said the group.  

Jenifer Swallow, Director of LawtechUK at Tech Nation, said: ‘The volume and quality of applications for Panel membership was exceptional, and reflective of the breadth of talented people recognising the need for change in the legal sector and committed to delivering that for society and the economy. Thank you to everyone who applied and we look forward to working with many as we progress our foundational projects over the coming months.’

And, Christina Blacklaws, Chair of the LawtechUK Panel, concluded: ‘It is a pleasure to welcome our new members to the LawtechUK Panel. I am excited by the additional depth and breadth of experience they each bring to an already exceptional group.’

Existing Panel members include Christina Blacklaws (Chair), Dr Anna Donovan, Faculty of Laws, University College London, Rosemary Martin, General Counsel & Company Secretary at Vodafone Group Plc, Professor Richard Susskind, Technology Advisor to the Lord Chief Justice and President of the Society of Computers and Law, and Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Vos, the next Master of the Rolls.

(Main photo: Top row: Liu, Atkinson, Salasky. Bottom row: Green, Grant.)