From: RegTech Analyst
Government-backed LawtechUK has revealed that it is planning to launch a research and development environment for companies in the LawTech space.
LawtechUK is a government-backed initiative delivered through a collaboration between Tech Nation, the Lawtech Delivery Panel and the Ministry of Justice. The body defined LawTech as technologies that improve or replace traditional methods of delivering legal services and systems.
The Lawtech Sandbox will be funded from the £2m announced by the Ministry of Justice in 2019 to support the growth of LawTech in the UK.
The sandbox is created with the aim to bring together technologists, the legal and business community, and public bodies to support more innovative legal technology coming to market.
The Sandbox will be delivered in collaboration with the Solicitors Regulatory Authority, Legal Services Board, Information Commissioner’s Office and the Ministry of Justice.
The Sandbox is one of four initial programmes LawtechUK has announced in the publication of its vision to help the legal sector harness LawTech.
“It’s great to see two of the UK’s world-leading sectors come together to drive innovation and boost the nation’s competitive edge,” said Caroline Dinenage, minister of state for digital and culture. “The current crisis has highlighted the potential of technology to transform how we work and this new initiative will help entrepreneurs develop viable new products and services so our legal sector can be fit for the future.”
Jenifer Swallow, programme director for LawtechUK at Tech Nation, added, “COVID-19 is bringing urgency to the task of restructuring the delivery of legal services and systems worldwide. Through the LawtechUK work programme we have announced today, we will bring practical support and advancement to enable this, helping the UK legal sector lead this global transformation.”
Gerard Grech, chief executive at Tech Nation, commentted: “The delivery of legal services and the justice system are set for technological transformation through the use of AI, blockchain and other emerging enablers. The UK has every intention to be at the heart of this, with investment in UK LawTech tripling in the last two years. We, at Tech Nation are delighted to be working in partnership to deliver a targeted work programme to accelerate this growth for the UK and beyond, starting with the Lawtech Sandbox.”
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