Christina Blacklaws

BIO

Christina Blacklaws is an accomplished legal expert and former President of the Law Society of England and Wales, representing over 150,000 solicitors. With more than 30 years of legal experience, Christina has become a trailblazer in the fields of law, technology, and diversity. She is known for her innovative approach, having developed one of the first ‘virtual’ law firms and setting up the UK’s first Alternative Business Structure with the Cooperative Group. Christina currently leads her consultancy business, offering strategic advice on transformational change, technological developments, and diversity and inclusion. She also serves as a non-executive director for several leading law firms and provides advisory services to many more. Christina chairs two key UK Government bodies in lawtech—LawTech UK Panel and Innovate UK’s Next Generation Services Advisory Group—and is a member of the Ministry of Justice Legal Support Advisory Group.

SKILLS

Leadership | Legal Innovation | Diversity & Inclusion | LawTech | Strategic Advisory | Public Speaking | Board Governance | Technological Transformation | Communication | Policy Development | Change Management As a thought leader in the intersection of law and technology, Christina has chaired a commission on the use of algorithms in the criminal justice system and is a frequent lecturer on innovation in the legal services industry. She holds a Visiting Fellowship at the University of Manchester and continues to engage with academia and industry alike to foster collaboration and drive change. Christina is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion. She spearheaded the largest-ever global research on women in law, resulting in three significant reports and a UK government-backed pledge. Her commitment to these causes earned her numerous awards, including the Justitia International Leader Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

ACHIEVEMENTS

+ President - Law Society of England and Wales (2018–2019) + Chair, LawTech UK Panel + Chair, Innovate UK’s Next Generation Services Advisory Group + Justitia International Leader Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 + Featured in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 and awarded Modern Lawyer of the Year 2014 + Spearheaded the largest global research on women in law + Published more than 50 academic papers, including on algorithmic bias