As a government, our number one priority is to kickstart economic growth. The ingredients to successfully grow the economy are stability on the one hand and a culture of innovation on the other. The first is built on the rule of law, a British value which dates back to Magna Carta. The second involves applying technology to current challenges, keeping UK businesses at the global cutting edge. I believe that our world-leading legal services sector are critical to both.
Legal services in the UK are underpinned by an iron-clad commitment to the rule of law, an independent judiciary and the knowledge that in our system disagreements can be resolved fairly and predictably through the careful crafting of arguments by lawyers.
I experienced this first hand in my previous work as a barrister before entering parliament. Now as the minister for courts, I see it as much a part of my role to deliver economic growth as it is to deliver efficient court systems. The two must go hand in hand.
In an increasingly volatile world, the rule of law matters to businesses as much as to individuals. Effective courts and independent judges are prerequisites for a thriving, open economy. Robust intellectual property rights, effective contract enforcement and investor protection are key to creating the conditions for growth. Whether through the prevention of crime or the timely resolution of disputes – when our courts work well they make businesses, the people who run them, and those employed by them, feel secure. It is this certainty that gives the confidence that the UK is the best place in the world to do business.
Our legal services are also critical to innovation. UK law firms enable deals, they service clients both international and domestic, and they provide the framework for other industries – from financial services to life sciences, from big businesses to start ups - to innovate and grow.
Legal services attract over £37 billion into the economy every year and we want to support them to grow further. In addition to our traditional strengths in commercial law and arbitration, our emerging lawtech industry is helping English law, with the backing of the government, remain competitive.
With lawtech the clue lies in the name. It is a sector in which technology is applied to speed up legal processes. Take court transcripts – use of AI is now enabling court proceedings to be accurately transcribed in real time, helping the parties to capture what’s been said at a fraction of the cost. Tech solutions can reduce the time taken in expensive disclosure exercises involving millions of documents, or express fiendishly complex contracts in a digestible infographic or accurately predict the outcome of small money claims. These technologies are transforming the legal landscape and the businesses supported by it.
Last month, I travelled to Chicago with UK lawtech leaders to promote the UK as jurisdiction of choice for legal services. The government has invested £1.5 million this year in our LawtechUK programme supporting start-ups to develop tech solutions for lawyers – from AI-powered document automation to visualisation of complex transactions.
In Chicago the chatter was less Magna Carta and more the metaverse. Connections were made and contracts won. In one 'Dragon’s Den' style session the startups showcased their technologies to me before pitching to US investors. Companies like Avokka, Definely, and GenieAI will allow businesses to cut costs and time - leaving more space for innovation.
I came away from Chicago energised, confident in the ability of our law sector to create growth. The challenge for government is to nurture this talent, keep it in the UK, and ensure that the benefits of these technologies are shared across the country and across different types of businesses – small and large. UK legal services have long been the envy of the world. From supporting the rule of law to new technologies, I believe they can be the catalyst of this government’s mission for economic growth.
Sarah Sackman KC MP is courts and legal services minister
2 Readers' comments