LONDON, March 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Senior policymakers and industry leaders gathered in London this week at a UK Ministry of Justice event, English Law: a global legal platform for business, to explore how innovation and modernisation can strengthen the UK's position as the world's leading legal hub.
The event, hosted at HSF Kramer, coincided with the publication of Harnessing English Law for Economic Growth, a new independent report commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and produced by Hook Tangaza. The report reaffirms the global importance of English law as a foundation for international commerce, highlighting its predictability, neutrality, and global applicability, as well as its role in supporting cross-border investment, financial markets, and dispute resolution worldwide. It identifies technology as the leading systemic risk to English law's future position and calls for the UK to invest in keeping its legal infrastructure at the forefront of innovation.
The programme featured an opening address from Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy MP, followed by a panel discussion chaired by Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services.
Panel participants included:
- David Lammy MP
- Baroness Farmida Bi CBE, EMEAPAC Chair, Norton Rose Fulbright
- Marcus Peffers, Chair, M+C Saatchi
- Raj Panasar, Founder & CEO, LawFairy
Strengthening a Global Advantage
Opening the event, David Lammy MP emphasised the role of English law as a cornerstone of UK soft power, underpinning global trade, trust, and the rules-based international system. He highlighted its continued importance as one of the UK's most influential global exports.
Across the discussion, speakers reinforced that English law remains a global standard, while also identifying a significant opportunity to further enhance how it is delivered and experienced.
Marcus Peffers highlighted the importance of evolving how English law is communicated internationally. He noted that, alongside its well-established strengths, there is an opportunity to focus more clearly on tangible outcomes - including efficiency, commercial impact, and usability - to better resonate with global business audiences.
Baroness Farmida Bi CBE pointed to the progress made by jurisdictions such as Singapore and Dubai, which have complemented strong legal frameworks with fast, cost-effective dispute resolution and highly accessible business environments, including streamlined visa processes. She noted that continued focus on user experience will be important in ensuring the UK remains globally competitive.
Technology and User Experience at the Forefront
A central theme of the discussion was the role of technology in enhancing the accessibility and usability of English law.
LawFairy, which recently became the second technology-only firm to receive SRA authorisation to deliver legal advice, was highlighted as an example of the UK's progressive regulatory approach to legal innovation. Speakers noted that the SRA's willingness to authorise genuinely novel, technology-led models of legal service delivery - under the same standards as traditional practices - represents a competitive advantage that few other jurisdictions can match.
There was also broad agreement that English law's depth and sophistication - often perceived as complexity - can increasingly be unlocked through better design, technology and delivery.
Raj Panasar, Founder & CEO of LawFairy, said:
"The strength of English law has always been its depth and sophistication - but accessing that sophistication has often been harder than it should be. Technology allows us to change that. We can preserve the rigour of the system while making it dramatically simpler to navigate.
The opportunity now is much bigger than legal services. The UK has already proven it can build world-class digital infrastructure - Companies House, legislation.gov.uk, Making Tax Digital. If we take that same API-first approach across the rest of government - particularly in systems like UK Visas and Immigration - we can create a seamless experience for the businesses and individuals who interact with English law every day. That's how you turn a world-class legal system into a world-class user experience."
The Hook Tangaza report reinforces this direction, identifying innovation, modernisation, and responsiveness to technological change as key to ensuring English law continues to lead globally in a rapidly evolving economic landscape.
About LawFairy
LawFairy is a UK legal technology firm and one of only two technology-only firms to receive authorisation from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to deliver legal advice. Its core product, FairyLogic, is a deterministic legal intelligence engine covering over 55 UK immigration and nationality routes, including British citizenship, Skilled Worker visas, and family immigration pathways.
Media contact
Seb Jenks, Head of Commercial, LawFairy
Seb.jenks@lawfairy.com
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