LWIA Winners Large-14_616x372

Finalists: Alex Chan, DataNovo (highly commended); Tom Gummer, Kennedys; Liam Watson, Mills & Reeve.

Addleshaw Goddard's (AG) newly appointed head of innovation and legal technology collected the rising star award for her continued efforts to push technological change at the firm.

Having joined AG in 2010 and previously sitting on its transaction services team, Westland played a key role in shaping the firm's processes and approaches to legal work, which (driven by a desire to improve efficiency for clients) naturally progressed into greater use of tech.

The firm lauds Westland as a new breed of lawyer who is at the forefront of change in the legal sector, combining legal expertise with technological and commercial understanding.

Her track record of embracing tech solutions to solve client problems and save them money made her the standout choice for the head of innovation and legal technology role, with one partner describing Westland as the firm's secret weapon. Her team is already working on a number of mandates for high-profile clients to design, test and manage tech-based platforms to deliver time and cost efficiencies.

"Kerry is a visionary in the legal tech space, helping clients fathom the art of the possible. Kerry's personable nature combined with her technical competency is a real asset to her firm," enthused one client.