Emily Foges was a well-known figure on the legal tech stage in her role as CEO of the Mike Lynch-backed doc AI company, Luminance. Then in 2020 the high-profile boss made a surprise move to Big Four firm Deloitte to help with their legal managed services arm, but left two-and-a-bit years afterward.
While not often on the legal tech radar since then, Foges took on several new roles. She was chair of Clu, a tech-powered recruitment platform that connects major employers with candidates from minority or vulnerable groups who may otherwise be overlooked. And she is also a trustee of the Support SEND Kids charity, which provides support and resources to families of children with additional needs to help them access the education they need.
She has now joined The Barrister Group (TBG) as its COO. The UK-based group helps clients to find the right practitioner, has a growing stable of barristers, and has just celebrated its one-year anniversary of becoming the first private equity backed legal services business at the English Bar, thanks to a significant investment from LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group.
TBG is an umbrella group for legal brands, including The Barrister Group chambers and the Barrister Connect direct access platform. TBG chambers already has around 250 barristers on its books and is on course to become the largest chambers in the country, they said. It also leverages technology to help clients find the right lawyer for their needs as part of the platform.
Foges commented: ‘What I find fascinating is that The Barrister Group is not only using legal tech successfully, but has been doing so for more than 20 years. The word ‘disruptor’ can be over-used but TBG has really earned the title. The potential to build something really special on that strong foundation is huge.’
‘We have ambitious plans to scale up both in terms of the number of barristers and the instructions they are able to take, while at the same time making sure that we maximise tech to make sure we’re as efficient as we can possibly be.’
In terms of wider issues such as recruitment, Foges added: ‘I am passionate about skills-based hiring – hiring people for what they can do rather than where they come from – and have spent the last couple of years helping Clu build a platform that helps employers do just that.
‘That’s one of the other reasons I was drawn to the TBG team, who are committed to developing the careers of talented barristers regardless of their background.’
Harry Hodgkin, chief executive and co-founder of TBG (and pictured above with Foges), concluded: ‘Attracting someone of Emily’s calibre is a significant coup. She has the experience and expertise to help implement the exciting plans we have in the pipeline.’