Mentee interview –?Martin Langan from Legal Workflow

With mentoring applications reopening, we spoke to some of the previous LawtechUK mentees about their experience on the programme. Find out how our lawtech founders got on when they were matched with their mentors, and apply for our completely free mentoring programme today.

This week, we spoke to Martin Langan from Legal Workflow.

How did you come to find yourself in the lawtech sector?

I’m a solicitor by profession but I became interested in tech for law firms about 20 years ago. I was a partner in a law firm at the time, heading up the personal injury department. We brought our first case management system and I had to rewrite it for the work we were doing because some of the rules changed nearly overnight. That process opened my eyes to what you could do in terms of technology for law firms. Two decades ago it was in its infancy. I tried to persuade my partners to adopt it in other departments –?but of course, back then lots of people thought technology was unnecessary!

I wanted to stick with it, so I came out of that partnership and went freelance after a few years –?in 2007. I’d been there for 16 years.?

Can you tell us a little bit about your lawtech business?

Absolutely! My business is called Legal Workflow and we’ve been in operation since 2007. A lot of our work is around consultancy –?so customising practice management and case management systems that law firms already have. Often legal software falls short of some of our modern expectations or demands. We have become used to everything in our lives happening online and instantaneously, so we need to ensure the legal industry keeps pace.?

In the last couple of years, we’ve turned to product development of our own, particularly around legal services and automation. We’ve also been dipping our toe in the water with AI and machine learning. So pivoting from a consultancy business to a product development business is something that I felt we needed help with, and that is where the mentoring programme has been really valuable to us.?

How was the mentoring experience? When LawtechUK matched you with your mentor, did you feel it was a good fit?

Yes! We were matched with Jules Fernandes. Her business is around branding and marketing which was very useful in general for us. But, when we got to meet her and began work together I felt the value went beyond that. Her insight and understanding into what we were doing, and the critical friend that she became, meant she was a really great match for us. The programme was a great experience.?

What I found most useful was her challenging my position on various things – particularly when she got me working hard on an elevator pitch. It was definitely a challenge because you tend to get comfortable with what you think you are doing and how you express it, but actually having somebody from the outside looking at it and pulling it apart can really stretch you. And that is the value, isn’t it?

Lawtech Mentoring pairs you with a specially matched mentor who can answer your questions, share insights, and provide targeted support with your lawtech business objectives. And, it won’t cost you a penny.?Apply now.