The LegalTech Ecosystem in Wales

6.4 Key recommendations As discussed above, we believe that Wales has the potential to be a global leader in LegalTech innovation. We have already suggested a circular innovation model as the key enabler for this objective. Here, we articulate a set of key recommendations that address the key findings of our research. Recommendation 1 It is necessary to develop awareness of the existence of a rich LegalTech ecosystem in Wales, bringing together law firms, universities, start-ups, scale-ups, and other relevant stakeholders (BSB, Bar Council, SRA, Law Society, etc.) in a permanent forum. In the first instance, the Law Council of Wales should promote and support the establishment of such forum, identifying the most appropriate structure to encourage engagement and shared decision-making. In the longer term, the forum should be maintained by the centre for LegalTech suggested in recommendation 5. Recommendation 2 The Welsh LegalTech ecosystem should be recognised as a unitary entity, supported by a clear identity, vision, branding, and marketing strategy. Welsh Government, the Law Society, the Bar Council, and representatives of local universities, start-ups and scale-ups should together define such requirements, in consultation with the wider sector. Access to unitary branding (as a certification or collective trade mark) should be regulated and appropriate checks should be put in place to demonstrate adherence to the identity and vision (or other requirements, such as ethics and standards of conduct) set by the sector. Recommendation 3 A comprehensive mapping of all the components of the Welsh LegalTech ecosystem should be completed, published and kept up-to-date. This should include a database collecting information on each component, including the products offered by start-ups and scale-ups and their areas of technological expertise, the practice areas of law firms and their use or interest in specific technologies, the expertise of academic researchers and the availability of research centres or academic networks. Recommendation 4 The mapping activity suggested by Recommendation 3 should support the creation of an automated referral system, which any interested party could access to identify potential collaborators or LegalTech providers in Wales. For example, a law firm interested in document automation should be able to quickly identify

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