Our Founder

Our Founder and CEO Derek Southall, is a high profile and very well connected figure in the legal technology, innovation, knowledge management and digital marketplaces and was recently described as the “Doyen of legal IT and Innovation”. Derek has spent nearly 25 years in a range of leading strategic roles for a top 50 global law firm, for most of this time as a Partner and Head of Strategic Development and subsequently as Head of Digital and Innovation. During this period Derek helped drive growth from £27 mil TO to in excess of £450 mil TO as well as driving and supporting numerous mergers and international expansion to 18 offices in 10 countries.

Derek was ranked by the FT as one of the top three most innovative lawyers in the UK in its first study into the legal market. Derek also led the firm’s technology team to become ranked by the FT as the most innovative in Europe and subsequently the firm was ranked as the FT’s second most innovative firm in Europe as well as picking up a range of other awards. 

Derek has been the relationship partner for a long list of major household name clients in a range of sectors including Automotive, FMCG, Financial Services, Food and Drink, Fashion and Construction and has a strong track record in sales and product delivery. Derek has been ranked for three consecutive years as an Acritas Star for outstanding client delivery (based on independent feedback).

Derek chairs and was one of the founders of the Legal IT Innovators Group (www.litig.org) which has 85 or so of the top 100 firms as members (representing 90000 users and £20bn of turnover) and which plays a key role in driving ahead technological thinking and change for the good of the legal profession. In this role he has worked alongside the United Nations and a range of other large organisations.

In early 2017 and at the request of clients Derek set up www.hyperscalegroup.com which is an advisory and implementation business helping clients develop strategies for and overcome challenges with technology, digital, knowledge management and innovation. Hyperscale Group works for a range of large global businesses, legal and compliance departments, professional services firms, venture capitalists, litigation funders and start-ups in a range of jurisdictions around the globe. Derek also serves on the advisory boards of a number of start-ups and has recently been appointed as a non-executive director of www.fliplet.com

Together with Steve Parrott and Sarah-Katherine Bradshaw of Alternative Events, Derek is also a co-founder of a business acceleration platform called the Professional Alternative which launched in the Summer of 2021 The Professional Alternative | Learning Platform for Professional Service Firms - The Professional Alternative

Derek has joined forces with two other leading advisory businesses in the fields of technology, operations and financial management to create the Intuity Alliance which has been referred to as the “Holy Trilogy” of Legal IT. Its purpose is to pool experience and intellectual knowhow to ensure we have a more holistic approach to how we give advice. 

In addition to advisory work we also put our money where our mouth is. In the technology space Derek has invested in two start-ups: Farillio (SAAS legal services) and Nava (AI travel app). In relation to Corporate Social Responsibility we recently raised and donated $15000 to buy 30 laptops for the Joshua Foundation to help 30 underprivileged children in Tanzania. We also fund the education of five children for the Joshua Foundation, our nominated charity.

Finally, Derek has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Institute of Global Innovation, a multidisciplinary group of around 350-400 academics who are working to solve the world’s biggest problems. The Institute for Global Innovation Advisory Board - University of Birmingham

 
To contact Derek Southall: 
Email: dereksouthall@hyperscalegroup.com
Tel: +44(0)333 772 2255
Mob: +44(0)7980 125125
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