Last week I had the pleasure as a member, of attending the LegaltechLive Dear Sailor event in Manchester, and it was a reminder of how quickly the legal and professional services landscape is evolving in the North West.

The conversations around innovation, technology and the future of the sector were especially interesting, but what stood out most was the balance between progress and practicality.

The best ideas are not just about adopting new tools — they’re about using them in a way that genuinely improves how we work, serve clients and build stronger businesses.

Events like this are valuable because they bring together people who are thinking seriously about the future, while still being grounded in the realities of day-to-day delivery.

That mix of ambition and experience is where real progress happens.

A big thank you to the organisers and the Scouse royalty that is Dawn Morris and Stephen Lucas and everyone involved in making it such an engaging event.

It was a pleasure to be part of it and we didn’t engage in an ounce of networking apart from when I requested to pap everyone