Stephen Ward
Membership Status: Team Member
General Information
Legal Innovator, Barristers' Clerk, Speaker & Author. Making access to Lawyers in the UK easier with award-winning tech. We help solicitors, businesses and members of the public to find the right Barrister or Mediator in England & Wales for Civil, Commercial or Family disputes.
Co-Owner and Co-Founder of Clerksroom & Clerksroom Direct. Key roles include:
- Managing Director, Clerksroom Barristers
- Managing Director, Clerksroom Mediation
- Managing Director, Clerksroom Direct
- Managing Director, Clerksroom International
- Project Manager, Chambers365
- Project Manager, Billy Bot
- Project Manager, The Pupillage Academy
- Company Secretary
Oversees all areas of business including the following areas:
- Development of Mediation administration
- Development of Clerksroom Chambers
- Development of Clerksroom Online
- Development of Clerksroom Direct
- Development of best practice & continuous improvement
- Global I.T. infrastructure, internal I.T. networks and 3rd party suppliers, Web planning & development
- Press & Public Relations
Stephen Ward has been a barristers' clerk since 1983, becoming a senior clerk to Chambers in 1993. Aged 25, Stephen was one of the youngest senior clerks in the UK after 10 years experience in the Temple and Grays Inn, London. Now Stephen is Managing Director of Clerksroom, manages a team of 20 clerks and oversees the worldwide operations of Clerksroom.
Personal:
Married with 2 grown up boys. Additional roles held include: Past Chairman of the Orchard FM Charity Trust, Past Non-Exec Director of Orchard FM, part of the GCap Media Group (Now Heart FM), Past Chairman of Wellington Round Table and Past Group Chairman of the 1st Wellington Scouts. A committed charity worker and fundraiser who enjoys the community side of life. Past board member of Mediation Somerset. A self-confessed I.T. & Internet enthusiast. Completed 18 marathons for Headway. Pleased to have raised over £30,000 for Headway through various charity events. England, Arsenal & Yeovil Town supporter. Current member of Wellington 41 Club (ex Round Tablers). Past non-exec Board member of Trusted Litigation Capital. Volunteer advisory board member of ODRO (Online Dispute Resolution). Registered Drone Pilot and a keen amateur drone photographer.
Sociable:
- LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwardclerksroom
- Twitter -Follow me on Twitter
Articles & Publications:
- Perspectives on LawTec and regulation. Published by the Legal Services Board 9th April 2020.
- Book: Tales of a Barristers Clerk, Choir Press, March 2020. Amazon
- Law Society Gazette - 23rd July 2018 re Billy Bot
- Hewitson & Co - 60 seconds with Stephen Ward, 15th September 2017
- Thomson Reuters Report Published 23rd May 2017 - Innovation at the Bar
- Bloomberg.Com - 23rd May 2017 - Article about London Clerks
- Modern Claims Magazine - May 2017 - (P31) Are you making the most of the Bar?
- Billy Bot - by Law.com - 21st April 2017 - Junior Clerk Chat Bot
- Legal Futures - 13th April 2017 - Billy Bot, the worlds 1st junior clerk chatbot
- The Barrister Magazine - April 2017 - Direct Access for Chambers
- Legal Futures - 21st March 2017 - Article re plublic access growth
- Modern Claims Magazine - "How to get cheaper barristers fees" Issue 23, January 2017.
- Modern Claims Magazine - "The Only Way Is Ethics" Issue 22, Novemeber 2016. Page 35.
- Modern Clams Magazine - What Does "Awesome" Look Like? Issue 21, September 2016.
- Modern Claims Magazine - "The Future? Google It!" Issue 20, July 2016. Page 25.
- Modern Claims Magazine - "Big Data" Issue 19, May 2016. Page 57.
- Modern Claims Magazine - "Making the claims process work, for less". Issue 18, March 2016.
- Internet Newsletter for Lawyers - "Clerksroom Direct: public access in motion". March 2016.
- Modern Claims Magazine - "Taking centre stage in 2016". Issue 17, January 2016.
- Legal Futures - November 2015. Direct access service winning work mostly from solicitors and other barristers.
- Modern Claims Magazine - "Get it right and replicate". Issue 16, November 2015.
- Modern Claims Magazine - "Is the Bar capable of collaboration?" Issue 15, September 2015.
- AI Global Media Magazine - April 2015
- "Revising the template" - New Law Journal, Vol 164 7632, 28th November 2014.
- "The Business of Law" - Modern Law, October 2014 Issue 14.
- "A virtual Chambers?" - InfoLaw May 2010 - Internet Newsletter for Lawyers.
Awards and Nominations:
- Finalist - Somerset Business Awards 2021 - Best use of Technology.
- Winner - Modern Law Awards 2020 - Best use of Technology
- Highly Commended - Modern Law Awards 2020 - Innovation of the Year
- Finalist - The Business Excellence Awards 2018.
- Winner - Lexis Nexis Legal Innovation Awards 2018. Clerksroom Direct
- Nomination - Corporate LiveWire Innovation & Excellence Awards 2018.
- Finalist - Claims Management Awards 2017. "Chambers of the year"
- Top 10 finalist in the category "Legal Innovator of the Year" at the F.T. Innovation Awards 2007.
- Halisbury Legal Innovator of the Year - 2015
- Winner of the "Practice Manager of the Year" at the Personal Injury Awards 2011.
- Nominated for Taunton Deane Citizenship Award for 2012 for services to Charity.
- 2015 Winner of the Modern Claims Award for Innovation of the year for Clerksroom Direct.com.
- Winner of the ACQ Global Awards 2015 for "UK Gamechanger of the year (Legal Referral), Clerksroom Direct.
- Winner of the MD of the year, Corporate Vision Magazine, 2016.
- Winner of the Best Barristers Chambers Practice Manager - UK, Executive Award 2016 by Corporate Vision Magazine.
- Winner of the European CEO of the year - United Kingdom, Corporate Vision Magazine, 2016.
- Worldwide Law Review, 2016 UK Specialst of the Year for our ongoing work in the area of Family Law.
Public Speaking:
- 30th March 2022, Westminster Legal Policy Forum. "Access to legal services in a digitised sector".
- 16th September 2020, The Big Law Summit, London
- 17th February 2020, Legal Tech Europe, University College, London.
- 17th January 2020, Action Coach - Growing a digital business. On stage with Mark Colbourne MBE, London 2012 Olympic Paralympics Gold Medalist and World Record Holder.
- 9th October 2019, Birmingham LawTech Week.
- 4th October 2019, ActionCoach, Somerset.
- 2nd October 2019, Somerset Chambers of Commerce.
- 21st March 2019, "LawFest", Auckland, New Zealand.
- 20th March 2019, Long Shore College, Auckland, New Zeland.
- 12th October 2018, "Paralegals: The Modern Lawyer" Conference hosted by PPR, London.
- 19th April 2018, Disruptive Innovation in Legal Services, London
- 12th March 2018, LegalTech in the UK, Sydney, Australia
- 1st March 2018, LegalTech in the UK, Auckland, New Zealand
- 15th February 2018, LegalTech in the UK, Wellington, New Zealand
- 27th November 2017, AI for Professional Services, Bishopsgate, London
- 23rd November 2017, FOIL AGM (London) - The Machines Are Here - Cyber risks and AI in 21st Century Insurance Law
- 21st November 2017, Legal Futures Innovation Conference (London) - Robotics and AI for LegalTech. See slide share presentation.
- 8th February 2017. Public Access Bar Association (London) - "Developing a Public Access Practice, Online Portals and Marketing"
Memberships:
- Institute of Barristers Clerks
- Public Access Bar Association
