Dentons has today launched ‘Office Hours’, a legal tech incubator that will operate as an R&D sandbox for companies ‘looking to build, test and develop innovative solutions tailored to the legal market’. The goal is to explore how applicants can ‘disrupt traditional legal processes’.
The global law firm said that successful applicants will be able to co-develop and test products within Dentons’ wider R&D programme, with guidance and expertise from its UK-based Innovation and AI team; with Rowena Rix, (pictured) Head of Innovation and AI at Dentons UKIME, playing a leading role. (See in-depth interview below.)
It becomes the latest law firm to operate a legal tech incubator. A&O Shearman has had Fuse for some years and Slaughter and May has had Collaborate. Meanwhile Mishcon de Rya pioneered the idea early on with its MDR Lab, which has since evolved into offering multiple innovation initiatives.
And for those with good memories, this new move is an echo of what Dentons once did back in 2016/17 with NextLaw Labs and NextLaw Ventures, where the firm backed several legal tech startups including ROSS, Doxly, Apperio and Clause, to name a few; bringing their tech into the firm where possible. Although, in this case, investment does not appear to be the primary driver. Rather it’s all about bringing in new ideas and products into the firm.
Rix said: ‘We’re excited to launch Dentons Office Hours, which promises to uncover some of the best in future legal tech solutions. This is not just a pitch event – it’s an opportunity for tech visionaries to co-develop and test products under our direction and expertise as we drive forward our ambitious growth strategy. Companies joining our R&D programme can expect to take a ‘capability first’ approach, laser-focused on problem solving for our clients and business.’
The firm added that the selected legal tech companies will:
- ‘Collaborate with Dentons’ legal and innovation teams to refine their product within a structured R&D framework;
- co-develop solutions tailored to specific use cases, ensuring the product fits seamlessly into existing workflows and provides practical, scalable results;
- test and iterate their product using specific use cases that focus on how the solution can be integrated into Dentons’ operations or offered to its clients; and
- explore partnership opportunities, including potential pilot programmes, to further develop and scale the solution across Dentons’ network.’
And in terms of the specific areas that Office Hours will be looking at, they include:
- ‘Knowledge management: Ensuring Dentons’ knowledge base is readily accessible for efficient matter delivery. Facilitating knowledge sharing, reducing redundancy and enhancing decision-making through intuitive search and retrieval.
- Document lifecycle and matter management: Streamlining workflows and document management to enable seamless data capture, retrieval and compliance. Supporting real-time collaboration, audit trails and process automation to minimise inefficiencies.
- Communication and collaboration: Enhancing data tracking, visualisation and presentation for business insights and secure collaboration. Enabling integrated messaging and real-time document editing to improve client experience and operational effectiveness.
- Document and data extraction: Utilising advanced technologies, including LLMs, to analyse documents, retrieve and structure information, and support efficient validation and reporting.
- Data analysis and information visualisation: Applying advanced techniques to present complex data clearly, transforming raw data into actionable insights with intuitive visualisation tools for better decision-making and client reporting.
- Budgeting, costs and resource management: Harnessing data and technology for strategic pricing, quick fee estimation, budgeting, cost management, reporting and resource allocation.’
Paul Jarvis, CEO of Dentons UKIME, added: ‘As a firm that remains at the forefront of legal innovation, I am thrilled to be offering this opportunity to ambitious companies who share our vision for a tech-enabled future. I look forward with great enthusiasm to the ideas presented to our Innovation and AI team, and to seeing outcomes of this programme.’
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Rowena Rix AL Interview:
- Why launch the incubator now?
Over the last year, we have been working with our lawyers and clients to identify technology needs and gaps in the current toolkit. We recognise that to meet those needs requires working with new providers, with existing providers on new solutions and, in some cases, building ourselves. We’ve structured our technology enablement work according to focus areas and have been building our team and engagement around the same. We’ve recruited product management and AI specialists to lead in the evaluation of products against requirements. The establishment of our R&D function signals our commitment to the co-development of solutions. Some providers sell very broad AI capabilities. This programme requires a degree of specificity as to what products can and can’t do so we can all begin the R&D process from the perspective of what the product offers today rather than a promise of something on the roadmap. It leads to honest conversations from day 1 that set us up for a productive relationship.
Office Hours is not just an incubator for new solutions, it is also an internal engagement programme for our people to discuss their technology needs (according to our focus areas), ask questions about AI, explore available products and take part in product evaluation.
- How many companies will be chosen ?
TBC depending on what we see in the applications but likely no more than 1 per workstream for the first cohort due to the way our R&D programme is structured.
- Will Dentons invest in some of the companies? (If they merit it?)
Whilst it hasn’t been ruled out, Investment is not the goal of the programme. The goal is to find products which work best for us and our clients. If a company shows promise and lack of funding is a barrier to meaningful development, we might consider investment on that basis. Success of the programme means the product meets one or more of our needs and we ultimately enter into a commercial agreement, with the opportunity to scale into other Dentons regions (assuming that hasn’t already happened during the programme).
- Can mature companies also join if they have an MVP to test out? Or is this mainly for startups?
Companies must have an MVP as a minimum to pass the “Proof of Technology”. The programme has been purposefully designed to accommodate the assessment of new product offerings from more mature companies as well as those just entering the market. The programme is also not restricted to “legal tech”. It is open to companies with useable products from other industries, so long as they can be configured for our needs and those of our clients.
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How It Will Work
The firm explained: ‘Office Hours sessions will be conducted via video calls, lasting 15 minutes per company. These sessions are an opportunity to demonstrate the technology and test the firm’s appetite to continue.
‘After participating in Office Hours, selected companies will enter a ‘Proof of Technology’ phase. This is a short, controlled test lasting a maximum of two weeks, during which the goal is to demonstrate that a solution performs to specified requirements of an agreed MVP. The focus will be on:
- Operational stability: Prove your technology functions smoothly.
- Compatibility: If relevant, ensure that your solution can interact with other applications.
- User experience: Provide a seamless, intuitive and enjoyable experience for legal professionals.
‘If the Proof of Technology phase is successful, your solution may move to a pilot programme.
All applicants should note that, by participating in Office Hours, there is no guarantee that Dentons will use, purchase or invest in your product,’ the firm added.
Eligibility Criteria:
To apply, your legal tech company must meet the following criteria:
- Your product must specifically address an aspect of one or more of the innovation focus areas.
- Tech companies should have a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or higher.
- The solution should have potential for application across multiple jurisdictions.
- Your leadership team should have proven expertise in technology.
Why apply for Office Hours?
- You will receive tailored guidance from Dentons’ legal experts and innovation leaders.
- You will have the opportunity to showcase your solution to the world’s largest global law firm.
- Companies participating in Office Hours will be considered for pilot programmes to test their solutions across various practice groups and jurisdictions.
How to apply:
Companies are encouraged to submit their applications through this form.
Timeline
- Application deadline: 12 May 2025
- Shortlist notifications: 2 June 2025
- Office Hours sessions: June 2025
Next steps:
‘Once the applications are submitted, we will conduct an initial review, assessing each product based on scalability, innovation and alignment with Dentons’ legal needs and within our existing portfolio of products in the innovation focus areas.
Shortlisted legal tech companies will then be invited to participate in Office Hours, where they will present their solutions, engage with Dentons’ experts and explore potential collaboration opportunities,’ the firm concluded.
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So, there you go. Great to see another law firm launch an incubator. The more legal tech companies that get to test out their products and features with major law firms and get plenty of feedback – the better. Also, it’s good for the law firm and its clients, as they will get access to the latest developments in legal tech. As ever it’s a win-win.
Now, you could say that law firms don’t need a special programme like this for bringing in legal tech companies. And that’s true to some extent as all law firms will bring in new tech at some point. What helps here is that it focuses everyone’s minds. It helps the vendors to really think about what a firm such as Dentons wants, and it helps Dentons’ innovation team and participating lawyers to really focus as well on a concentrated group of solutions for specific needs.
With an organised project like this it’s easier to build KPIs and for those involved to develop a shared sense of what success looks like. Doing one PoC at a time, sometimes without an overall innovation strategy, can work as well, but Dentons may well ‘get more bang for their buck’ by operating a multi-vendor programme with clear goals, such as Open Hours.
Either way, it all helps to support the wider legal innovation ecosystem, which is a good thing. Those involved in this will take those learnings away with them and they will be applied elsewhere. New connections will be made. New insights will be gained as well. As noted, overall it’s a win-win.
In fact, shouldn’t every major law firm run some type of incubator?