Funding competition aims to expand lawtech innovation across England and Wales through 2029
The Ministry of Justice has launched a competition to award up to £3.62 million in grant funding for the third phase of the LawtechUK programme, inviting eligible UK organisations to lead the initiative from November 2026 to March 2029.
The programme is designed to accelerate the development and adoption of legal technology across England and Wales while supporting the government’s ambition to strengthen the UK’s position as a leading international legal centre. According to the Ministry of Justice, the next phase will continue to encourage innovation, improve access to legal services and enhance the competitiveness of English and Welsh law.
Lawtech covers technology that supports, supplements or transforms legal services. Examples highlighted by the Ministry include artificial intelligence tools that help people understand their legal rights, software that automates routine legal work, digital dispute resolution platforms and other technologies that improve the efficiency and accessibility of legal services.
The grant competition sets out five key objectives. These include supporting the growth of the UK lawtech sector, particularly solutions that benefit consumers and small and medium-sized enterprises, encouraging the development of AI-driven legal technologies in line with the UK AI Action Plan, increasing lawtech adoption among SME legal service providers, promoting regional growth in priority areas identified by the Industrial Strategy, improving access to legal services and supporting the work of the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce to help ensure the law of England and Wales provides a foundation for emerging technologies.
For solicitors and legal technology providers, the competition signals continued government support for digital transformation within the legal sector. Firms, technology businesses and eligible partnerships seeking to shape the future of legal service delivery should note that the successful applicant will be responsible for delivering the next phase of the national programme. Applicants must satisfy the competition’s eligibility requirements, including being a UK-registered corporate entity with a significant UK presence. Public sector organisations and individuals are not eligible, while consortium applications are permitted provided a lead applicant is identified. All successful applicants will also be subject to due diligence checks before any funding is awarded.
The Ministry of Justice has published an Invitation to Application, the proposed Grant Funding Agreement and guidance for potential bidders. Applications close at midnight on 26 August 2026, with the successful bidder expected to be notified in October 2026, before programme activities begin the following month. The funding period is scheduled to conclude in March 2029.