Friday, 15 November 2019

Global law firms, leaders of Cyber Security, an alliance between Law Firms and Academics as well as AI solutions vendors were among the winners of the British Legal Technology Awards 2019 (BTLA), organised by Netlaw Media. The winners of these prestigious awards were announced Thursday 14th November 2019 at a glittering ceremony, held at the Leonardo Royal London St Paul's hotel in central London. The event, hosted by comedian Tim Vine, was attended by the legal sector elite made up of guests, dignitaries and shortlisted candidates from the world of legal IT and security.

The announcement of the BLTA winners followed a rigorous vetting process, undertaken over several months, overseen by a 21-strong independent expert judging panel.

Three groups of award winners were announced at the annual ceremony – one for UK and EU or International law firms, barristers’ chambers and in-house legal teams, and the other for legal IT vendors and consultants.

The award winners were as follows:
Categories for Legal Services Providers
Most Innovative Firm of the Year – Sponsored by Picture More

Winner: Ashurst

Technology Venture of the Year – Sponsored by Mobliciti

Winner: St. John’s Buildings

Excellence in IT Security – Sponsored by ITC Secure

Winner: DAC Beachcroft

Technology Team of the Year – Sponsored by 8x8

Winner: DAC Beachcroft

Dual Category for Legal Services Providers & Legal IT Suppliers

Alliance of the Year – Sponsored by Cisilion

Winner: Freshfields / The University of Manchester / DWF

Categories for Legal IT Suppliers

Legal AI Supplier of the Year

Winner: Luminance

New IT Product of the Year

Winner: Glasswall Solutions

Innovation in Legal Services

Winner: OneTrust

IT Security Provider of the Year – Sponsored by DELTAS

Winner: Darktrace

Supplier of the Year

Winner: HighQ

The BLTA judging panel also bestowed a lifetime achievement award on Liam Brown, in recognition of the instrumental role he has had in championing the evolution of technological change within the legal sector.

Closing the event’s proceedings, Jacqueline de Rojas, president of techUK, said the BLTA ceremony “offers a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the incredible contribution that individuals and teams within the sector have all made to innovation and to our connected future. What has struck all of us as a panel of judges is the level of investment in client focused technology and how that is becoming a differentiator with the business and practice of law. The UK legal sector continues to make real progress and disrupt from within, so we hope we have managed to acknowledge the efforts of those teams who have been proactive, leveraged driven teams and the demonstration of leadership that drives us forward.”

Ms de Rojas’ comments were echoed by Netlaw Media UK and EMEA Managing Director Frances Armstrong, whose company organised the BLTAs. “Since the opening of nominations for the 2019 BLTAs in February, it’s been captivating to see the continued development of innovation within the past year within the UK and EU legal sectors, driven by legal tech teams, practices and solutions providers alike,” she said. “Netlaw Media is delighted to continue showcasing and celebrating the role that current and new technologies can play in transforming the UK and European legal professions.”

About ‘The British Legal Technology Awards 2019’:
Nominations for the British Legal Technology Awards 2018 opened in February this year. A shortlist of finalists were announced during a social media campaign in September. The 2019 Awards were once again a complete success and the feedback received has been extremely positive. The event will return to the legal events calendar in November 2020.

The 21-strong BLTA judging panel was once again chaired by techUK president Jacqueline de Rojas. The panel also included IT heads from several international law firms, professors and consultants who specialise in the legal sector, and representatives from the legal IT vendor and consultancy community.

The British Legal Technology Awards ceremony was the 24th event organised by Netlaw Media since the company was formed in 2008.

For more information, please contact:
Anissa Tennah, Head of Event Operations, Netlaw Media
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3176 4200
Email: ATennah@netlawmedia.com

Notes for editors
The British Legal Technology Awards is the 24st event organised by Netlaw Media since the company was formed in 2008.
All previous Netlaw Media events have sold out prior to the event taking place.