Celebrating Innovation: Dr Catriona Wolfenden's Prestigious Recognition
Law alumna and Director of Product and Innovation at Weightmans, Dr Catriona Wolfenden, has been named in the prestigious 2025 Lawyer Hot 100 list. This accolade celebrates a diverse mix of innovative and dynamic legal professionals who are currently making significant contributions to the industry.
Catriona graduated with a Law degree in 2003 and completed her PhD in 2007. She began her career at Weightmans as a paralegal, later cross-qualifying as a solicitor. In 2018, she transitioned from a professional support lawyer role to focus on innovation. Since then, she has established an award-winning Product and Innovation department, which recently won the Technology Venture of the Year at the British Legal Technology Awards 2024.
On being named in the Lawyer Hot 100 list, Catriona said: “I’ve looked at the list each year and always been impressed by the work of my peers across many areas, so to be included and recognised for my role in product innovation is a great achievement for me and Weightmans, demonstrating the growing importance of this work across the sector.”
Catriona significantly expanded her team from 15 to 34 members in 2024, reflecting the increasing demand for client led innovation in legal services. She is passionate about the importance of using technology to deliver value to clients, helping to derisk organisations by offering innovative services and solutions. Her team, which now includes a diverse range of roles including legal engineers, legal technologists and product managers brings a range of skills and educational backgrounds, encouraging diversity of thought to better serve clients.
Catriona maintains a strong connection to Liverpool and the University. She graduated in 2003, and her siblings and sister-in-law are also alumni, while her father is an honorary clinical lecturer and her sister and brother-in-law are academics at the University. She remains a committed volunteer to the alumni community and supports students and recent graduates through talks on developing skills for future lawyers, is a regular mentor for the Law Professional mentoring programme, and recruits graduates to Weightmans. Working with Law academic Jeremy Marshall, Catriona has been instrumental in helping the Law School develop a new module on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Legal Services. Additionally, she has coordinated a one-day placement for Liverpool Law students to visit Weightmans and learn about their AI strategy, allowing students the opportunity to experience unique and real-world insights.
Catriona has also worked with Professor Katie Atkinson on multiple projects to harness the work being done on Artificial Intelligence and law in real world applications, achieving ‘Best use of technology’ award at the Modern Law Awards in 2019.
Catriona advises current students to: “Be curious. The job of a lawyer is to be questioning and have a wide range of skills. Be ready for the pace of change – it’s coming quicker than ever before. Technology comes and goes, so it’s important to be open and inquisitive. For example, my job wasn’t a job when I first left university, so be open to all possibilities. It’s important to understand and seek different sides of the business to be prepared for future careers that are not yet shaped. I encourage my team to make connections across all areas of the business.”
For more information on Dr Catriona Wolfenden click here, and to see who made the Lawyer Hot 100 list click here.