On Thursday 24 April 2025, the LegalTech in Leeds Conference 2025 brought together 200+ legal professionals, technologists, academics, students, and public sector leaders at Cloth Hall Court in Leeds. As the UK’s largest LegalTech event outside London, the conference underscored the region’s growing status as a national hub for legal innovation and digital transformation (and for financial and professional services more broadly), something Whitecap Consulting has been proud to play a role in.
Origins and evolution of LegalTech in Leeds
LegalTech in Leeds was created by Whitecap Consulting in 2022, following insights from its 2020 Leeds City Region LegalTech and Innovation Report, a report commissioned by Leeds City Council, and funded and supported by some of the region’s key stakeholders in the legal sector. The report identified a need for stronger collaboration between the legal and tech sectors, improved digital adoption, and better access to legal services. In response, Whitecap subsequently launched the LegalTech in Leeds initiative to drive practical action, a step which was made possible by Whitecap making a successful bid for Innovation@Leeds funding from Leeds City Council.
Today, the initiative is a leading voice in regional LegalTech development, and supports a growing community of professionals working to shape the future of legal services through innovation, insight and collaboration.
The recently published LegalTech in Leeds Annual Report 2024–25 shows rapid growth across the sector, including:
- A 50% increase in LegalTech firms between 2023 and 2024
- More than £260 million in regional economic contribution
- Forecasts of over 1,800 new jobs by 2025
- Greater use of AI and GenAI across law firms and legal service providers
Similarly minded initiatives are in place and thriving in other regions too, including Bristol+Bath LegalTech and SuperTech WM, which are championing the development of LegalTech in the South West and West Midlands respectively, and these organisations are linked by the Lawtech National Network, a group convened by SuperTech WM which meets every few weeks to share updates and identify collaboration opportunities across the regions and nations of the UK. Nationally, the work of LawtechUK is providing a focal point for the transformation of the sector, and over the last two years it has been encouraging to see this take on a more national perspective with a series of regional events and engagement opportunities.
As an aside, other regional FinTech ecosystems of note include FinTech North and FinTech West (both of which Whitecap is directly involved in co-ordinating), FinTech Scotland, FinTech Wales, FinTech East. These groups all come together as the FinTech National Network, a group convened by the UK’s FinTech trade body Innovate Finance.
Emerging themes in LegalTech
The recent conference provided a snapshot view of some of the key emerging regional and national themes in LegalTech across the UK, including:
- Stronger together: regional collaboration in action
LegalTech is thriving across the UK. Sessions highlighted regional ecosystems including Leeds, Manchester, Bristol+Bath and the West Midlands, showing that distributed innovation is fuelling national progress. - AI, innovation and value
Panellists discussed how AI can drive efficiency and open new revenue streams, but cautioned that adoption must be ethical, well-regulated and trusted by clients. - Skills for the future
Speakers stressed the need for legal professionals who are confident with technology, collaboration and critical thinking, not just legal doctrine. LegalTech in Leeds is proud to work with all five of the law schools based in the city centre (BPP, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Trinity University, University of Law, and University of Leeds) - Community-driven change
LegalTech is about people as much as platforms. Attendees emphasised shared learning, inclusive networks and the need for public-private-academic partnerships. - Education as a catalyst
Academic institutions in Leeds and beyond are rethinking legal education to prepare graduates for a rapidly changing industry.
The conference featured a number of keynote presentations and panels, a stream of specific breakouts sessions, and a showcase of LegalTech entrepreneurs and sector initiatives. Some of the specific highlights included:
- Nigel Brook, President of Leeds Law Society and Legal Director at Tyr, welcomed delegates and reinforced the vital role Leeds is playing in national LegalTech development.
- Regional LegalTech leaders from Manchester, the West Midlands and Bristol+Bath joined a panel to discuss the importance of regional collaboration, chaired by Beth Fellner of LawtechUK. Julian Wells, Director at Whitecap Consulting, participated in the panel and highlighted how Whitecap’s data insights are used to guide funding and policy across regional ecosystems.
- PEXA introduced the Future Property Transactions Group, a recently created regional collaboration of key stakeholders in the property transactions process, which aims to streamline property transactions through trusted data frameworks and industry engagement.
- Clio, the global LegalTech unicorn, shared their story via a highly engaging fireside chat in the closing session of the conference.
- rradar, Walker Morris, Curvestone AI, Quiss Technology, Katchr, Matterbee and others also showcased innovation in practice.
- Innovate UK and Whitecap presented the newly launched AI for Services 2025 report, offering insight into the role of AI in reshaping the professional services landscape. Read the full report
To find out more about LegalTech in Leeds or read the full event write-up visit the LegalTech in Leeds website.
Looking ahead: Whitecap’s ongoing role in ecosystem development
Whitecap Consulting remains committed to supporting building the momentum and impact of LegalTech in Leeds, and other regional ecosystems we directly or indirectly are involved in. We aspire for our work in ecosystem development to play an important role in identifying growth opportunities, connecting stakeholders and informing strategic action. Through data-led research and cross-sector collaboration, we help shape support programmes, accelerator initiatives and policy frameworks.
LegalTech in Leeds is a direct example of this in practice. By fostering an inclusive, insight-driven platform for dialogue and innovation, we are helping to deliver not only technological advancement but also practical, sustainable growth in the legal services sector.
If you would like to discuss our work in regional innovation-focused ecosystems, please contact us to arrange a discussion. You can also view the 30+ reports we have published over recent years, many of which are focused on regional activity and development.