LegalTech in Leeds Hackathon 2026
The LegalTech in Leeds Hackathon is back for 2026, delivered in partnership with Bruntwood SciTech.
Bringing together people from across law, technology and beyond, the Hackathon is a day of collaboration, problem-solving and fresh thinking.
Working in multidisciplinary teams, participants will tackle a challenge inspired by the issues and opportunities facing the legal sector. You’ll have eight hours to explore the challenge, develop a solution, concept or prototype and pitch your idea to our judging panel.
You don’t need to be a developer and you don’t need to arrive with an idea. The Hackathon is about bringing different skills, experiences and perspectives together to explore what the future of legal services could look like.
How to get involved
Take part in a team
(Best for: students, legal and tech professionals)
Join one of six multidisciplinary teams and spend the day tackling the Hackathon challenge. You’ll work with people from different backgrounds to develop an idea, solution or prototype before pitching it to our judging panel.
👩🏼⚖️ Join the judging panel
(Best for: senior leaders and industry experts)
Help select this year’s winning ideas. You’ll hear the final team pitches, score them against our judging criteria and help decide the winners across a number of award categories.
💡 Become a Team Innovation Guide
(Best for: experienced professionals and facilitators)
Be assigned to one team for the day, helping them work through the challenge, collaborate effectively and stay on track. You’re there to ask questions and offer feedback, rather than lead the team or shape their solution.
👨🏽🏫 Become an Expert Mentor
(Best for: specialists with expertise to share)
Share your specialist knowledge with teams throughout the day. Whether your expertise is in law, technology, AI, product development, design, consultancy or another relevant area, teams can draw on your experience as they develop their ideas.
🚀 Sponsor a team
(Best for: law firms, tech companies and industry partners)
Support the Hackathon with a £750 sponsorship and help champion innovation and talent in Leeds. Sponsors receive event-wide marketing and a dedicated video podcast interview to showcase your work around innovation, technology and talent.
Who should attend?
We’re looking for a mix of people from across law, technology, business and academia, including:
Legal professionals – paralegals and trainees through to partners and senior leaders
Technology professionals – software, AI, data, computing and development
LegalTech professionals – product, innovation, transformation and operations
Founders and consultants – across legal, technology and professional services
Students – undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students across law, computer science, technology, business and related subjects
Academics and researchers – working across law, technology and innovation
No previous Hackathon experience or technical skills are required.
How the Hackathon works
1. Meet your team
You’ll be placed into a multidisciplinary team, bringing together different skills, backgrounds and perspectives.
2. Discover the challenge
The Hackathon challenge will be revealed on the day, based on current issues and opportunities facing the legal sector.
3. Develop your solution
You’ll have eight hours to explore the challenge and develop a solution, concept or prototype, with support from Innovation Guides and Expert Mentors.
4. Pitch your idea
At the end of the day, each team will pitch its solution to our judging panel.
5. Celebrate the winners
The judges will select the winning teams, alongside a People’s Choice Award voted for on the day.
What happens on the day?
We’ll start the day together with breakfast, introductions and the reveal of this year’s Hackathon challenge.
Teams will then have the day to explore ideas and develop their solution, supported by their Team Innovation Guides and Expert Mentors. In the afternoon, teams will pitch to our judging panel before we announce the winners and celebrate together.
Agenda
08:00 – Breakfast and arrivals
08:30 – Welcome and briefing
09:00 – Hackathon kicks off
12:30 – Lunch with your teams
15:00 – Team presentations
16:45 – Results and awards
17:00 – Celebration and networking
18:30 – Finish
Prizes
Teams will be competing for a number of prizes and awards throughout the day:
🏆 First Prize: £500
🥈 Runner-Up: £350
🙌 People’s Choice Award
The People’s Choice Award gives everyone attending the Hackathon the opportunity to vote for their favourite idea.
Further award categories will also recognise standout ideas, collaboration and innovation across the day.
Important to know
You don’t need to code. Solutions can be a concept, service, process, product or prototype.
The challenge is revealed on the day. There’s nothing to prepare in advance.
Teams are multidisciplinary. We’ll bring together different skills, sectors and levels of experience.
Support is available. Team Innovation Guides and Expert Mentors will be on hand throughout the day.
Come for the full day. If you’re taking part in a team, you’ll need to be available from the morning briefing through to the awards.
How to register
Choose how you’d like to get involved when completing the registration form.
Taking part in a team?
Register your interest and tell us a little about your role, experience and skills. We’ll use this information to create a balanced mix of backgrounds and expertise across the six teams.
Joining as a Judge, Team Innovation Guide or Expert Mentor?
Select the relevant option when registering and tell us a little about your experience and area of expertise. We’ll be in touch to confirm your involvement and share more information about the role.
Interested in sponsoring the Hackathon?
Select the sponsorship option and leave your details. We’ll send you the sponsorship information and arrange a conversation about getting involved.
Have a question?
Not sure which way to get involved, or want to know more about the Hackathon?
Get in touch with the LegalTech in Leeds team at info@legaltechinleeds.com and we’ll be happy to help.