The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has joined the Government’s new AI Growth Lab, a regulatory initiative designed to help accelerate the development and adoption of artificial intelligence across the legal sector.
The AI Growth Lab will act as an advisory sandbox, bringing together regulators and innovators to help AI developers navigate existing regulatory frameworks while maintaining consumer protection and professional standards.
Legal services will be the first sector to participate in the programme, reflecting growing demand from the industry for clearer guidance on the use of AI and emerging technologies. The initiative follows evidence gathered through the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Call for Evidence on AI adoption.
The CLC will work alongside the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Legal Services Board (LSB) to identify regulatory challenges, explore how existing rules apply to AI-powered services and develop a clearer framework for oversight as innovation accelerates.
STREAMLINE HOMEBUYING
The initiative is expected to be of particular interest to the conveyancing sector, where firms are increasingly exploring AI tools to improve efficiency, reduce costs and streamline the home buying and selling process.
Applications for AI innovators, LawTech businesses, legal service providers and conveyancing firms are expected to open later this summer.
The Government believes the programme can help support responsible innovation while improving access to legal services through faster, more efficient and potentially more affordable solutions.
Milton James, Chair of the CLC’s Technology and Innovation Working Group, says: “I believe the Legal Sector AI Growth Lab has the potential to accelerate innovation and drive growth across the UK legal sector, and I am delighted that the CLC, as a forward-thinking, pro-innovation regulator, is helping to shape and deliver this important pilot.”
AI INVESTMENT
The announcement has also been welcomed by CLC-regulated firms already investing heavily in AI.
Etienne Pollard of Juno Legal says: “This is a great example of how the CLC enables safe, responsible and pro-consumer innovation in the regulated legal sector. We look forward to engaging with the AI Growth Lab.”
Sue Bence, Chief Operating Officer at Farringdon, adds that the initiative would help firms test new technologies safely while working alongside regulators.
She says: “The AI Growth Lab is a genuinely important step for the UK legal sector. Seeing the CLC partner with DSIT, the SRA, LSB and ICO on the AI Growth Lab is hugely encouraging, and we’d encourage other innovators in legal services to engage with it.”
The move marks another step towards wider AI adoption across the legal and conveyancing sectors, as regulators seek to balance innovation with consumer protection and professional accountability.
