News
LDC-backed TBG names Emily Foges as first Chief Operating Officer
24 Jun 2024
The Barrister Group (TBG) has appointed legal innovation leader Emily Foges as it continues its mission to modernise the Bar.
Emily, former CEO of legal AI pioneer Luminance and lead partner for legal managed services at Deloitte, joins the groundbreaking group in the newly created role of chief operating officer.
It is another landmark moment for TBG, which recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of becoming the first private equity backed legal services business at the Bar, thanks to a significant investment from LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group.
Under Emily’s leadership, Luminance, which uses AI to automate the generation, negotiation and analysis of contracts for legal teams, grew from a small start-up to a $100 million company in just over three years.
At Deloitte, she launched the firm’s legal managed services offering, harnessing the power of AI, which was used by several FTSE 100 businesses in its first year alone.
TBG is a tech-enabled legal services business and the umbrella group for well-known legal brands including The Barrister Group chambers and the Barrister Connect direct access platform. TBG chambers already has around 250 barristers on its books and is on course to become the largest chambers in the country, putting technology at the heart of its reimagining of barristers’ services.
Emily says: “What I find fascinating is that The Barrister Group is not only using legal tech successfully but has been doing so for more than 20 years.
“The word ‘disruptor’ can be over-used but TBG has really earned the title. The potential to build something really special on that strong foundation is huge.
It’s early days but an exciting time. We have ambitious plans to scale up both in terms of the number of barristers and the instructions they are able to take, while at the same time making sure that we maximise tech to make sure we’re as efficient as we can possibly be.”
The TBG model uses AI to match barristers to the cases most suited to them. There are eight areas of expertise, including family, employment and personal injury, and to qualify as a specialist, that work must account for at least 70% of the barrister’s caseload. TBG House, the cornerstone of the chambers, is made up of barristers who work across multiple practice areas.
TBG is also committed to boosting diversity and encouraging development and recently welcomed what is believed to be the largest single intake of pupils at the Bar. When it comes to recruitment, what matters is that candidates have talent and the potential to build a sustainable, self-employed practice rather than their background.
Emily, a University College London graduate, says diversity is a subject close to her heart. Until recently, she was chair of Clu, a tech-powered recruitment platform that connects major employers with candidates from minority or vulnerable groups who may otherwise be overlooked.
She is also a trustee of the Support SEND Kids charity, which provides support and resources to families of children with additional needs to help them access the education they deserve.
Emily says: “I am passionate about skills-based hiring – hiring people for what they can do
rather than where they come from – and have spent the last couple of years helping Clu
build a platform that helps employers do just that.
“That’s one of the other reasons I was drawn to the TBG team, who are committed to developing the careers of talented barristers regardless of their background.”
Attracting someone of Emily’s calibre is a significant coup. She has the experience and expertise to help implement the exciting plans we have in the pipeline."
He continued: “Hiring a COO is very forward thinking at the Bar but that’s what TBG is all about – doing things differently and challenging what has been the status quo for too long in order to build a Bar that’s fit for the future.”