Empowering Legal Teams Through Innovation: The Evolving Role of In-House Counsel
- Cosmonauts Team
- Oct 22
- 4 min read
In the latest feature of our Legal Innovators UK 6.0 interview series, we speak with Alex Hardwicke, Head of Legal at Amey, who joins the conversation on how in-house teams are evolving to meet the demands of a rapidly changing business environment.
In this interview, Alex shares her perspective on the evolution of in-house legal functions, the role of technology in driving smarter decisions, and the opportunities that come from embracing innovation. Enjoy the interview below.
From your perspective, how has the role of in-house legal teams evolved over the past five years?
Over the past five years, the emphasis has continued to shift from legal as reactive problem-solvers and gatekeepers of risk, to proactive and strategic enablers of the business. At Amey, we have always prided ourselves on legal being embedded in the operational and commercial fabric of the organisation and the team is involved from the earliest stages, helping shape strategy, bids, contracts and governance frameworks that align with both legal requirements and business objectives. However, I think there is now a wider recognition that legal, like other functions, can no longer operate in silos or in a linear/sequential fashion and that integrated teams and strong relationships are critical to driving business success.
Has the legal profession been slow to adopt and adapt to changing technology?
Historically, the profession has tended to be cautious about change, rightly so given the regulatory and reputational risks we manage. However, I think the pandemic and rapid expansion of AI across the workplace has forced lawyers to rethink and reframe how we work, collaborate and deliver value. Other functions may have been ahead of us in adopting digital tools and data driven decision making, but increasingly, lawyers are looking at how to embrace the available technologies, streamlining contract and compliance processes, adopting data driven decision making and using AI-powered tools.
The challenge we all have is to shift our mindset – we need to become more comfortable with experimentation and iteration (not something that comes naturally to most lawyers) and to focus on the outcomes we want to achieve rather than the tools we use to do it.
Do you believe AI will become a standard part of every lawyer’s toolkit? Where do you see AI making the biggest difference in contracts?
Yes, I think AI will become standard and, in reality, probably already is at some level – every legal research tool has AI enhancements and many of us will have access to Copilot, Gemini or equivalent in our enterprise IT. However, I think we need to be careful about the assumption that we will all use AI in the same way and for the same thing – use cases will vary as widely as our practices and one size most definitely will not fit all.
The use of AI for contracts is a case in point – the AI tools that best support a private practice team negotiating high volume, low value, low risk property contracts for a major client are likely to be quite different to those that will make the most impact for an in-house team of a public sector services provider that tenders for bespoke and largely unamendable contracts. The key is for each team to identify the problem they are looking to solve and focus on tailoring the available AI to address that problem. Our current focus is on streamlining the review process, using AI to summarise large volumes of data and provide a starting point for more detailed work, allowing us to focus our expertise on analysis and strategic considerations.
What innovations do you think are still missing from the legal tech market? And what are the main barriers to their development?
We need better interoperability – too many legal tools operate in silos, making it hard to build a cohesive ecosystem across the legal team and wider business. Platforms should talk to each other without bespoke (and expensive) integration so that we can maximise efficiencies and insights.
I would also love to see more intuitive user interfaces – tech should empower, not intimidate. The best tools will be those that mirror how lawyers actually work and that make adoption so simple it’s boring, whilst also allowing clear demonstration of ROI.
The barriers? Budget constraints, legacy systems and a lack of cross-industry collaboration, exacerbated by the speed of change. Tools are changing and improving on an almost daily basis, making it harder than ever to select the best option and move forward.
How do you hope your participation at Legal Innovators UK will influence the way the audience thinks about legal innovation?
I hope it sparks honest conversations and curiosity about what can be achieved. Innovation is not about shiny new tools – it’s about solving problems, improving outcomes and making legal work better for everyone. I want the audience to leave with ideas they can act on, questions they want to explore and the confidence to give it a go. If we can inspire even one team to try something new, that’s a win.
Join the Conversation
As legal departments continue to evolve, one message from Alex rings clear: innovation isn’t about chasing the newest tool, it’s about creating better outcomes and empowering teams to work smarter.
Join Alex on Day 2 of Legal Innovators UK 6.0 for the panel “Contracts, Contracts, Contracts...: Unlocking Efficiency with GenAI and Smarter Tools.” She’ll share how in-house teams can embrace AI and smarter systems to transform the contracting process, from streamlining reviews to driving consistency, insight, and value across the business.
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