Kate McKenna, Chair

The Technology Committee is dedicated to empowering solicitors to confidently and competently navigate the rapidly evolving technology landscape in legal practice. Through guidance on systems, regulatory compliance, and accessibility, we aim to support the seamless integration of technology in a sustainable and practical way that benefits colleagues, clients, and the profession as a whole.

During 2025, the committee had a particular focus on providing practical information to the profession through informative articles and CPD on technology issues. Key projects included:

• Input into the Legal Tech Hub, which offers tools, insights, and training to support solicitors in practice,
• Articles on ‘Assistive technology in the legal profession’ (in partnership with disAbility Legal Network) and ‘Navigating the EU AI Act’,
• Participating in the Legal Tech Series of free lunchtime talks on technology issues,
• The launch of an in-depth cyber security course, Advanced Cybersecurity for Law Firms, and
• The return of a November Technology Committee conference, titled ‘AI for today’s lawyer’, which focused on providing hands-on, practical guidance to the profession on the implementation of AI tools across their legal practices.

The committee will continue to publish useful information and offer CPD in partnership with the Law Society, informed by feedback from the bar associations and colleagues nationwide.

In addition to the above, the committee answers questions from colleagues requesting support or insight on using technology in their legal practices and provides input to relevant policy submissions made by the Law Society. We also work constructively with the Courts Service and other justice-sector stakeholders to provide practitioner feedback on existing and future digital tools to be used by the profession. More insight on the committee’s priorities and day-to-day work is available in a detailed May 2025 Gazette profile.

This year, the committee bid farewell to two highly effective and long-serving members. I wish to thank Neil Butler and Eamonn Keenan for the significant and invaluable amount of voluntary time, expertise, commitment, and dedication they gave to the committee and profession over several decades.

I would also like to express my gratitude to each member of the committee for their time, insight, and hard work during my period as chair. I have thoroughly enjoyed it.