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Lawtech Sandbox Pilot
Transforming the UK legal sector through tech
The Lawtech Sandbox Pilot has been designed to fast track transformative ideas, products and services that address the legal needs of businesses and society. It provides pioneers with access to a number of tools, services and people, to help accelerate the development of game-changing lawtech.
We are calling lawtech pioneers with a readiness to test, build and push the boundaries – to explore in the Lawtech Sandbox Pilot how we can tackle opportunities and challenges with lawtech, and demonstrate what transformation looks like in the legal sector in practical ways. This isn’t about the easy steps but the hard ones. That’s where we can help lawtech pioneers make a difference.
The Lawtech Sandbox Pilot is free, government-backed, and we don’t take an equity stake in organisations that join. Applications are now closed.
How will the Lawtech Sandbox Pilot work?
The Lawtech Sandbox Pilot will see a small, first cohort of pioneers gain access to the Lawtech Sandbox for three months from December as part of a trial.
Successful applicants will have access to a number of tools and services tailored to help you get the most out of your time in the Lawtech Sandbox Pilot.
WORKING WITH REGULATORS
Navigating regulations and governance can be time consuming and complicated. That is why we will provide access to regulators throughout the process, for advice, support and assurance at pace.
This includes multiple regulators in a single, fast response forum: the Regulatory Response Unit.
OUR NETWORK
We will connect you based on your needs, to our legal, business and public body network, to help you drive commercial opportunities and collaboration.
We understand the power of accessing the right person at the right time to achieve your goals, whether that is a decision-maker, a client, a mentor or an expert.
ETHICS GUIDANCE
The role of ethics in the design and development of lawtech is important and we want you to be able to get the support and advice you need from applied ethics experts.
As we work to build out this service, we invite you to consider the support in this area that you would value.
ACCESS TO DATA
We know that legal data is hard to come by and understand the immense value that greater access could have on the lawtech sector. Our goal is to help improve access to legal data.
During the Pilot, we will support by matchmaking you with data sources, and dataset requests will be factored into later phases of Lawtech Sandbox development. We invite pioneers to specify any data-requests you have in your application, as we work to build out this service.
Who should apply to the Lawtech Sandbox Pilot?
The Lawtech Sandbox Pilot is open to all pioneers, whether tech companies, academics, legal businesses or consortia, who have potentiality transformative ideas, products or services looking to address the legal needs of UK businesses and society.
To apply, your idea, product or service that you wish to put forward for the Lawtech Sandbox Pilot must meet the following criteria:
It meets a legal need of UK business and / or society.
Please note, criminal/citizen access to justice is currently outside the remit of LawtechUK
You are based in the UK.
How will applications be assessed?
Value proposition
Have you communicated effectively the problem you solve? What potential impact does your offering have – does it answer a clear need?
Genuinely innovative
There are few or no comparable offerings already established in the UK market? Does your offering represent a step change in the use of technology that will deliver benefit and have a positive impact?
Lawtech Sandbox value
Will the Lawtech Sandbox add significant and relevant value to help achieve your product ambitions and tackle the challenges?
Lawtech Sandbox readiness
Do you have clear objectives that can realistically be delivered in the three month time frame of the Pilot? Are you ready and have the resources to test and develop in the Lawtech Sandbox Pilot?
Our Judges
We are proud to have insightful leaders and experts supporting the Lawtech Sandbox – they act as the Lawtech Sandbox Steering Board and will assess your applications, alongside Jenifer Swallow and Alexandra Lennox from the LawtechUK team.
Chris Grant, LawTech Director at Barclays Ventures
Sophia Adams Bhatti, Head of Strategy & Policy at Simmons Wavelength
Nick West, Chief Strategy Officer, Mishcon de Reya LLP, & Founder of MDR LAB
Matthew Smith, Manager – Policy, Innovate, FCA
Stephen Browning, Challenge Director – Next Generation Service at Innovate UK
The Regulatory Response Unit
The Regulatory Response Unit brings together relevant regulators into a single, fast response forum, to make it easy for pioneers to access and navigate the rules and move forward with confidence. Especially useful for pioneers pushing the boundaries or where a product touches more than one regulatory regime.