Guest post by Professor Katie Atkinson, artificial intelligence advisory board member of LawtechUK
Atkinson: A mentor who has ‘been there, done that’ can be crucial
Having previously been perceived as the poor relation to fintech, lawtech in 2025 is enjoying the huge attention it is now attracting, with recent headlines describing this moment as its ‘Golden Age’.
With this interest from legal firms and departments, policymakers, entrepreneurs and investors, comes a need for more guidance and support in fostering innovation. This is where mentoring is now playing a significant role.
Law has always had an impact on society, influencing how we live and work. But nowadays, at the heart of the lawtech revolution lies a new industry worth over $1tn annually.
Lawtech is not (yet) a saturated market and there is potential for many innovative solutions which will reshape the legal landscape. Central to this acceleration of transformation of the field of law is the increasing capability of artificial technologies, including generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to undertake legal tasks.
Previously, the legal profession was seen as the guardian of all knowledge. Firstly the world wide web drastically changed this, and now GenAI is the latest revolution.
Deploying GenAI and lawtech products more generally will open up information access and also automate intricate legal tasks. But what makes lawtech especially compelling, aside from bringing efficiency gains, is its potential to democratise access to legal resources and ultimately reshape the practice of law.
It is no surprise, therefore that the sector is attracting the attention of investors who are recognising the potential for transformative change, not just for the purpose of digitisation, but to provide solutions to longstanding problems such as case processing times and access to justice.
There is a very diverse range of mentoring needs for lawtech companies, not only through the different startup life stages from MVP (minimum viable product) through to scaling, but also around specific business issues that they may be facing.
First-hand knowledge of routes to market and navigating the challenges of rapid growth from a mentor who has ‘been there, done that’ can be crucial. Alternatively, some require specialist support with a particular area of expertise that matches their current needs, for example, fundraising or marketing, collaboration or strategic decision-making.
Successful mentoring programmes attract experienced mentors from a variety of backgrounds, including current lawtech founders and those with specific legal, tech or more general entrepreneurial expertise. It is crucial to be able to match a founder with a mentor who has relevant experience and an interest in giving back to the lawtech ecosystem.
Feedback from founders on LawtechUK’s mentoring programme shows that participating companies value their connection with mentors based on what mentees specifically need.
This opportunity to find an unbiased sounding board and learn from others has proved crucial for many.
Examples of outcomes include increased confidence in decision-making, avoiding common mistakes, and a deeper understanding of market opportunities and challenges, all of which helps mentees become stronger, more reflective leaders.
Particularly helpful can be mentor support from groups who are traditionally under-represented in the founder space. The number of female founders of lawtech companies has been on the increase in recent years and mentors matched to founders who are able to act as role models and pass on tailored advice from their own experiences are helping to support such growth.
From my own perspective, the attitudes of people working within the legal industry are evolving. Universities embrace innovation topics and now offer courses on data science specifically for those who do not have a prior background in computing, yielding graduates with broader skill sets who are open to interdisciplinary working.
In addition to being more open to trialling lawtech products, law firms, large and small, have become increasingly open to collaboration on ‘blue sky’ innovation projects to glimpse the art of the possible with AI technologies.
It is extremely rewarding to be involved in successful projects where teams have come together in the knowledge that they will need to step out of comfort zones but have the will to work together to harness collective expertise and skills.
Twenty years ago, the pool of such projects in the AI and law space was much smaller than it is today. Technologies have since matured and attitudes towards collaboration opportunities have certainly broadened. The result is that the prospect of pursuing a lawtech career is now a reality in what has become a thriving ecosystem.
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