What We Do
We accelerate the next generation of startups that will change the way legal services are delivered and increase access to justice
Build
We are building a community
We are looking for hard-working, creative entrepreneurs who are passionate about changing the way legal services are delivered.
Connect
We connect you with valuable partners and mentors
Our ten week program involves 1-hour weekly virtual conferences with leading legal technology entrepreneurs, innovative law firms, industry consultants, court administrators, CTOs, angel investors and VCs committed to investing in early-stage tech products. We bring in thought-leaders from the legal profession and coaching experts to hone your pitch and enrich your understanding of the legal services ecosystem.
Grow
We are here to support your growth
Our mission is to strategically tailor resources to help your startup thrive, from access to highly intelligent interns through Duke University and leaders in legal tech fields, to showcasing your product at the Duke Law Tech Lab Demo Day.
Our Mission
The Duke Law Tech Lab (DLTL) is a program of the Duke Center on Law & Tech at Duke University School of Law.
Our mission is to help your legal tech startup thrive by building community among legal tech entrepreneurs and providing access to high-quality content needed by many early stage founders and teams who may be leading their first entrepreneurial venture. As of 2020, we focus our accelerator exclusively on startups with a mission to increase access to justice but continue to provide resources here on this site for all legal tech entrepreneurs.
By the Numbers
Who We Are
We’re an entrepreneurial team with experience in startups, law firms, investing, and academia
Leadership
DLTL is coordinated by faculty, staff, and students at Duke Law under the Duke Center on Law and Technology, led by Director Jeff Ward. We are supported by an advisory board (below) of legal tech leaders who help us strategize and provide feedback.
Judges
We recruit our application judges from Duke Law’s network of legal tech leaders invested in supporting innovation in legal service delivery.
Speakers & Mentors
We connect our teams with experts, law firms, justice system stakeholders, student interns, angel investors, venture capitalists, innovators, pitch coaches, marketing experts, influencers, and others from Duke University’s extensive network.
Founders
Duke Law Tech Lab was launched in 2017 by Duke Law students, alumni, and faculty, and led by the efforts of Duke Law alum Bill Warren, who now serves on our advisory board.
Advisory Board
Andrew Arruda
Flexpa
Bill Warren
Opolis
Co-Founder of the Duke Law Tech Lab
Camille Stell
Lawyer’s Mutual Consulting & Services
Chris Martin
Latham & Watkins
Ed Walters
vLex
Elizabeth Stone Gerding
Brooklyn Investment Group
2017 Duke Law Tech Lab
Felicity Levey
Paladin
Jeff Pfeifer
LexisNexis
Jim Wagner
Lean Law Labs
Why work with us?
We continue to evolve the Duke Law Tech Lab to help address the most pressing challenges facing early stage legal tech companies:
- The vast majority of our Founders are lawyers or experienced as self-represented litigants – not serial entrepreneurs or MBAs – who have seen a gap or need in the legal profession and are developing a solution.
- The market for legal tech products, both BTB and BTC, is unique and continually evolving as more individuals, governments, and companies embrace the use of technology in the legal and civic sectors.
- While many startup founders in all industries feel it is a lonely road, legal tech entrepreneurs are in particular need of support from other legal tech leaders.
The DLTL provides a platform for our teams to engage with legal tech leaders, law firms, justice system stakeholders, student interns, angel investors, venture capitalists, innovators, influencers, and others from Duke University’s extensive network.