A FORWARD thinking North-East based law firm has beaten global competition to win a national award for innovation after developing a game-changing product.

Newcastle-based law firm for businesses, Muckle LLP, has won a Legal Practice Management (LPM) Practice Excellence Award for Innovation, after teaming up with Sunderland University and Innovative UK to develop a new product that automates part of the firm’s debt recovery process.

The technology, which was developed in-house at Muckle, rapidly speeds up a number of back-office elements behind debt recovery. The new system can set up a debt 15 times faster than it takes a human to perform the same task.

Muckle was the only North-East firm shortlisted at the LPM awards, judged by peers and industry experts, and beat a global law firm to the top spot at the award ceremony held in County Hall in London.

Julie Parr, director of business improvement at Muckle, said: “We’re delighted to be recognised nationally for leading debt recovery and legal innovation amidst such tough competition.

“The recognition of our peers is a fantastic endorsement for our vision for new technologies that will help transform legal services."