Where law meets technology

MDR Lab is Mishcon de Reya's home for legal innovation – the place where lawyers, clients and the technology industry come together to work out what's next in law and start building it. For over a decade we've sat at that intersection, turning early experiments and R&D into the tools, relationships and ways of working that shape how legal services are delivered today.

What we do

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About

Over a decade ahead of the curve

We started as one of the UK’s first LegalTech incubators. Today, we train General Counsel, advise clients on AI, build our own AI solutions, and back the founders reshaping the legal industry.

MDR Lab

Launched the UK’s first incubator and investment programme in 2016, bringing early stage legaltech companies into the firm to build alongside practicing lawyers.

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Programmes

Supported dozens of companies over multiple cohorts to launch and scale as their partner, customer, and sometimes, investor. Notable alumni include Laurel, ThirdFort, Orbital Witness, DraftWise and Ayora.

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AI

We built a machine learning and data science function in 2017 allowing us in 2023, as the Legal Sector embraced AI, to make a fast start in building in-house AI tools, including deReyAI.

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Legora

We were one of the first UK firms to deploy Legora and remain a key design partner of theirs, including on their Portals which enabled AI-collaboration with clients.

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Client Innovation

Together with Flex and Mishcon Academy, we launched the GC Academy to provide GCs and senior in-house with the skills and networks to run a legal function and continue to advise our clients on how to use technology for strategic impact.

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Each step laid the foundation for the next. The incubator gave us the relationships and the product insight; the investments sharpened our judgment; and a decade experimenting with emerging technology at the frontier of law and technology gives us our competitive edge.

What we do

Solutions

We build and experiment with AI and technology. We stay wired into the legaltech market, then bring that insight to our lawyers and clients to drive better outcomes.

GC Academy

A hands-on development programme for General Counsel and senior in-house lawyers, built with Flex Legal. Four modules, one goal: to give our alumni the skills and network to run a modern legal function. Over 100 in-house lawyers have so far been through the programme.

Horizon Scanning

No more annual programmes or cohorts, but the same appetite for cutting edge legal technology. We meet founders year-round and engage the ones building solutions to problems we focused on fixing.

Client Adivisory

Practical, focused advice on AI strategy and implementation, drawn from real experience, not theory. Note to marketing team: keep modest in tone, an extension of hands-on experience, not a large consulting offer.

Hear from our network

Here the whole atmosphere is almost set up to get a startup up and running. In a relatively short period of time, we’ve gone from concept through to having a working demo, and having lawyer say that they see the value in using our product. Ed • Orbital

The MDR Lab offers a really unique opportunity to embed yourself within a firm, access all decision makers and end users and get that real time feedback in a collaborative way, that is so hard to get in the legal sector. We’ve crammed about 2 years of product development into 10 weeks. Denis • Index

It is an intense programme. The people here are brilliant, it really moves your product along in your journey and ultimately when you walk away, it gives you the confidence you are on the right path. Minesh • Amplifi

The Lab is a unique programme that ended up transforming our business. We benefited from amazing access, engagement and support from within the Lab and across the firm, and that enabled us to iterate at unprecedented speed. We have been really impressed with Mishcon - a large organisation - being able to match the startup pace too. Stefan

It has been extraordinary working with the professionals at Mishcon on the technology side, they have tremendous experience in the legal tech market place and in working with early stage companies that are selling to law firms. Kevin

Being in the Lab was transformative for our company, having access to lawyers and feedback helped us advance the product easily 10x since we started. Ozan • DraftWise

Companies