LEGAL GEEK COMMUNITY NEWS - APRIL 2025
This is your hub for all things community – where we celebrate the brilliant minds shaping legal innovation, highlight exciting opportunities to get involved, and share stories from our incredible network. Whether you’re a curious newcomer, or a long-time Legal Geek fan, this is the place to stay connected, inspired, and in the loop.
This month, we’re featuring Catriona Wolfenden, Weightmans’ Director of Product and Innovation, who has been named in The Lawyer Hot 100 for 2025. She has driven significant digital change, building an award-winning product and innovation department at Weightmans.
Catriona, congratulations on being named to the Lawyer Hot 100 2025 list. What does this recognition mean to you both personally and in your role at Weightmans?
Thanks! As those who know me will attest, it is not often I’m lost for words but I was when I got the phone call. I was really surprised and chuffed to have been included in The Lawyer Hot 100 2025, especially from a product and innovation role. It is a role that is very much a collective endeavour and I am lucky to benefit enormously from a brilliant team, colleagues and a supportive Board at Weightmans who let us See The Possibility for our clients, our business and our people. It is also a nice opportunity to thank those who have helped me along the way as I progressed from a temporary paralegal role to a law firm partner.
I may be biased, but I am pretty sure I have the best product and innovation team to work with – we’ve had many laughs and late nights along the way working out how the heck we would get product and innovation to work in a law firm – thanks for your boundless enthusiasm and trust.
I moved into innovation having practised as a lawyer and then via a knowledge management route. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I knew it was an opportunity I had to take and learn some new skills. I couldn’t have done this and previous roles without the steadfast support from Stuart Whittle, who has given me, and helped me create, countless opportunities to enhance my skill set (sometimes despite my protestations!), a confidence push when required so I have had fleeting moments when I think I can do this and enough constructive challenge to be able to see other ways of doing things. Rob Williams also needs a big thanks for being a supportive sounding board and a much appreciated mentor over many years!
My family and friends have been along for the squiggly career ride, especially my husband, Peter and 10 year old Freddie.
Legal innovation can sometimes feel at odds with long-standing practices. How do you navigate bringing fresh, tech-driven ideas into a traditionally conservative field without losing the essence of legal practice?
Lawyers have always innovated, just in a different context (or at least that is what Stuart Whittle and I suggest in our recent book ‘Innovation in Law Firms’). They have innovated in their core competency of law all the time. They advise clients how to conduct business legally within a complex regulatory environment; they advise clients on the most tax-efficient deal structures; and they continually test the boundaries of the law by taking novel points based on innovative legal argument to the highest courts of the land. If you frame discussions about innovation about solving a client’s problem, this more often than not generates a plethora of ideas, some of which you can then use technology to solve.
What are some of the legal tech trends you’re most excited about right now, and how do you see these developments influencing the future of the legal industry?
There are many legal tech trends and it always feels that there is so much technological development occurring at the moment, that even taking a week off means you come back to a whole lot of news, releases and often new suppliers! I hope that in the haste for technological advancements that we don’t all forget that we are ultimately trying to solve a particular problem. Part of solving the problem may involve tech, but problems often come with a healthy dose of people, process and data issues to solve too which shouldn’t be overlooked.
"Part of solving the problem may involve tech, but problems often come with a healthy dose of people, process and data issues to solve too which shouldn't be overlooked."
The London Legal Walk is back on Tuesday, 17 June! For over 20 years, this event has brought together the legal community to support free legal advice charities that help those who need it most. Join thousands of legal professionals as we raise funds and awareness for over 100 charities dedicated to providing free legal advice. More information.
Beth (and Betsy!) attended the launch of Richard Susskind’s latest book: How To Think About AI: A Guide For The Perplexed. It is a must-read for any AI enthusiasts, outlining how the benefits and threats of artificial intelligence are the defining challenge of our age – bringing AI into everyday life. Read all about it.
That’s a wrap for this edition! Check back next month for more community highlights, and ways to get involved.
Got news to share? We’d love to hear from you!
