The UK’s Justice Minister Sarah Sackman last week joined a Government-backed delegation of British lawtech firms in Chicago to showcase how the UK legal sector is putting AI at the front and centre of its services and develop a pipeline for US expansion in the UK. This is part of a US roadshow that has included Illinois and New York, coinciding with the Legalweek conference, as part of a GREAT Legal Services Campaign and Department for Business and Trade mission.
Across the US, the group met with law firms, businesses and investors to increase their UK-US partnership.
Advertisement
Figures show trade in legal services between the US and UK was worth £2.2bn in 2022. Some of the companies in the delegation already turn over £20 million a year and have clients around the world, including in the US. The companies in the delegation include Legatics, Juro and Legal-Pythia.
Sackman KC said: “We’re kickstarting our economy by harnessing the power of AI, technology and innovation in law. Backing British lawtech will boost businesses and attract international investment as part of our Plan for Change.
Advertisement
“In a fast-changing global market, UK law and lawtech are at the cutting edge. This trade mission and Government investment in lawtech will ensure the UK stays in pole position for law while growing the wider economy.”
This delegation is now an annual event but this year came at a difficult time for global relations with the US, after President Donald Trump imposed trade tariffs that are likely to disrupt global supply chains. While manufacturing companies that rely on hardware are first in the line of fire, meaning the likes of Big Tech companies such as Apple and Intel are facing what Forbes describes as an “inflection point”, the US push for technological sovereignty will cause uncertainty for all businesses.
His Majesty’s Consul General, British Consulate-General, Richard Hyde said: “Chicago is home to one of the largest and most dynamic legal sectors in the US. There are huge opportunities for the brightest and best UK legal tech companies.” Numerous global legal technology companies are headquartered in Chicago, including iManage and Fulcrum Technology.
This trade mission follows a recent announcement that the Lawtech UK programme, a government-backed initiative delivered by LegalGeek and Codebase, will be funded for another year to help accelerate the UK’s position in the global legal services market.
Overall, the UK’s legal sector generates £37 billion for the UK economy every year. In recent months key agreements have been made with other nations to strengthen the sector – including agreements with Switzerland, Japan, and Greece – by allowing UK lawyers to practise abroad.
Leave a Reply