Who will shape the future of UK lawtech?

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Guest post by Professor Mimi Zou, a member of the LawtechUK advisory panel

Zou: We need entrepreneurial diversity

The UK has a genuine opportunity to lead the world in legal technology over the next decade. The question is not whether we can lead, but who will help shape and benefit from that leadership.

While the US and China are investing heavily in frontier AI research and large foundation models, the UK has developed particular strengths and innovation track record in sectors such as fintech and life sciences.

The UK’s vibrant legal market, the long-established global influence of English law and legal institutions, and exceptional human capital have also created a strong platform for lawtech growth.

Seven years ago, I established the first lawtech innovation lab at Oxford University and went on to grow a start-up in the space. The lawtech ecosystem has evolved dramatically since then, but one structural issue remains insufficiently addressed: who gets to build the companies that define this sector?

The legal profession in England and Wales is broadly gender-balanced. The technology sector is not. Lawtech sits at the intersection of both.

Importantly, one does not need to be a practising lawyer to found a lawtech company. Many successful ventures are led by technologists or serial entrepreneurs. Given that technology teams remain disproportionately male, it is unsurprising that many lawtech start-ups are male-led.

We need to recognise the structural realities. Networks matter in early-stage ventures. Access to investors matters. Informal introductions, pattern recognition by venture capitalists, and confidence in scaling potential all influence funding decisions.

If certain groups are underrepresented in technology and venture capital networks, they are correspondingly underrepresented in funded start-ups.

There is also evidence that investor dynamics differ. Research from Harvard Business School has shown that female founders are more likely to be asked ‘prevention-focused’ questions about risk and downside, whereas male founders are more often asked ‘promotion-focused’ questions about growth and opportunity.

I am a member of LawtechUK’s advisory panel and we support i a range of initiatives that promote a diverse lawtech sector, encourage responsible AI adoption and strengthen access to justice.

Layer onto that the acceleration of AI. Within the next few years, it is reasonable to expect that virtually every law firm, from sole practitioners to global law firms, will integrate AI across all aspects of practice: from client onboarding to document review, from case analysis to workflow management, and even courtroom advocacy.

Entrepreneurs are responding accordingly. Lawtech businesses are emerging across the spectrum. Increasingly, lawyers themselves are building tools without coding expertise, using AI-assisted development platforms to generate templates, workflows and even bespoke applications.

The opportunity is therefore significant. The UK lawtech ecosystem has grown rapidly in recent years, and its trajectory remains upward. The challenge is ensuring that this growth is broad-based and inclusive.

This is not simply a question of fairness. Numerous studies demonstrate that mixed-gender and diverse leadership teams are correlated with stronger financial performance and better returns on investment. For investors and clients alike, diversity is not a concession; it is a commercial advantage.

So what would a constructive path forward look like?

First, greater transparency in funding data within the lawtech sector would allow us to measure progress properly.

Second, investor awareness of question framing and decision-making patterns can mitigate unintended bias.

Third, targeted mentorship and accelerator programmes that connect underrepresented founders with technology expertise and capital networks can materially shift outcomes.

Finally, government-backed innovation initiatives should explicitly encourage diversity as part of their criteria for support.

As AI becomes more embedded in international arbitration and cross-border dispute resolution, areas in which the UK has long been a global leader, we have a real opportunity to shape international standards. That influence should extend beyond the technical domain to encompass responsible governance and inclusive innovation.

If the UK is to lead in lawtech over the next decade, leadership must be understood broadly. It must encompass technological capability, regulatory integrity and entrepreneurial diversity.

We have the legal infrastructure, the talent and the momentum. The next step is ensuring that the ecosystem reflects the full range of that talent.

The future of lawtech is not predetermined. It is being built now. The more inclusive that process is, the stronger and more globally competitive the UK’s position will be.