Building Trust in Legal Tech: Weightmans and the TiPS Challenge

This is the second episode of a four-part mini-series of Beyond the Capital from SuperTech WM, in partnership with the TiPS Accelerator—a programme helping regional law and accountancy firms adopt new technology.In this episode, host Hilary Smyth-Allen speaks to Dr Catriona Wolfenden, Director of Product and Innovation at Weightmans, a top-40 UK law firm. She shares insights from Weightmans’ participation in the TiPS accelerator programme, focusing on how trust plays a pivotal role in the successful adoption of legal technology, especially emerging tools like generative AI.The conversation explores how the legal innovation team at Weightmans balances enthusiasm for technology with risk awareness, pilot fatigue, and stakeholder engagement. Listeners will hear how trust varies across teams, projects, and client relationships. Plus, thinking critically before launching a pilot is more important than ever.They discuss:How to think long-term: today’s pilot affects tomorrow’s cultureThe importance of transparent communicationWhy trust isn’t binary—it varies by project, person, and contextStarting with the problem, not the technologyChapters:00:00 – Introduction to TiPS and Weightmans01:20 – Role of the innovation team and post-COVID tech shift03:26 – The GenAI explosion and the risks of hype05:46 – Trust as the cornerstone of successful pilots07:03 – Legal responsibility and the “black box” problem10:36 – The academic and cross-sector value of TiPS12:11 – Mapping stakeholder trust and pilot impact14:31 – Avoiding the “snake oil” trap15:49 – Is GenAI hype, or here to stay?17:35 – ROI challenges and market saturation19:32 – Innovation lessons for smaller firms21:36 – Managing disruption and unintended consequences23:11 – One key takeaway: plan more than you think you need toLinks:Find out more about the TiPS accelerator hereFind out more about SuperTech WM hereFind out more about Weightmans here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.