Law Society accredits first non-lawyer legal technology specialist

Legal technology expert Steve Dalgleish has been awarded Accredited Legal Technologist status by the Law Society of Scotland.

Steve, Head of Technology at Shepherd and Wedderburn and Co-head of the firm’s Smarter Working unit, is the first non-solicitor to receive the accreditation in recognition of his expertise and leadership role in developing and implementing technological infrastructure and solutions for legal services.

The professional accreditation for those working in legal technology is the first of its kind in the UK. It was launched by the Law Society of Scotland in November 2019 to reflect the growing need for technology-based solutions specific to the legal services sector, alongside the emergence of new roles such as legal process engineer, legal analyst, and legal technologist. It has been designed to recognise both solicitor and non-solicitor technology specialists working in the sector. There are now four Law Society of Scotland Accredited Legal Technologists.

Steve said: “This accreditation reflects the work we do to help our clients address complex legal and business issues through the use of people, process and targeted technology. I am thrilled to be awarded Accredited Legal Technologist status and look forward to working with the Law Society in building a community of individuals to raise the bar for legal solutions.”

Rob Marrs, Head of Education at the Law Society of Scotland said: “I’m delighted to congratulate Steve on becoming an Accredited Legal Technologist. He has an extremely strong track record as a leader in legal technology and is highly respected within his organisation and across the legal and tech sectors for his knowledge, skills and drive to innovate. He very much deserves his new accreditation.

“Steve’s accreditation highlights not just his individual expertise, but also the increasing need to develop bespoke technological solutions for and within the legal sector, as well as recognising the growing number of legal technology specialists whose work supports the success of their organisations and the sector as a whole.

“We hope that our accreditation will become something that those working in legal technology around the globe will wish to hold as it provides assurance to the public, clients and to the legal profession.”

Through the Accredited Legal Technologist, which is a voluntary accreditation, the Law Society of Scotland aims to build a community of technologists who work to drive excellence in the legal technology profession in Scotland and further afield.