The Ministry of Justice has allocated £2 million in government funding to Tech Nation to support the development and use of UK legal technology (LawTech).

Tech Nation will be responsible for delivering outcomes to achieve the aims of the funding, building on the work of the LawTech Delivery Panel.

Established in 2018, the panel brings together experts to identify and address both barriers to, and catalysts for, the growth of this nascent industry.

Jenifer Swallow, former TransferWise general counsel, has been appointed by Tech Nation to lead the executive delivery function. Her remit will include engagement with the legal services and tech community, informing and developing the panel’s programme and working closely with its chair to coordinate and deliver the strategic objectives of the funding. Tech Nation will also be hiring two full time employees to support her in the role.

According to a statement from Tech Nation, the funding reflects the government’s commitment to the growth of Law Tech in the UK, noting that international investment reached $1.6 billion in 2018, a 714 per cent increase on the previous year, with UK investment in LawTech alone increasing three times in the past year, to £61 million.

Swallow comments: “Bringing together industry leaders, our amazing tech talent, the wider legal community and beyond, and engaging candidly on the issues, we can step change the sector to be truly fit for the future, globally – I look forward to building on the progress to date with the Panel and putting this important new funding to work in LawTech.”

Tech Nation chief executive Gerard Grech commented: “English law is the most popular choice of law in the world for commercial contracts and governs about 40 per cent of all global corporate arbitrations, among other aspects.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland added: “This funding will help create the right environment to support the development and use of UK LawTech.”

The panel is made up of industry leaders from government and the judiciary, with a core membership comprising:

• Christina Blacklaws, consultant and chair of Lawtech Delivery Panel
• Lord Keen of Elie QC, justice minister
• Geoffrey Vos, chancellor of the high court
• Richard Susskind, technology adviser to the lord chief justice
• Anna Donovan, vice dean for innovation at University College London
• Rosemary Martin, general counsel at Vodafone
• Gary Campkin, managing director of TheCityUK
• Sonya Branch, general counsel for the Bank of England

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