What Society for Computers and Law does

The Society for Computers and Law (SCL) is a UK-registered educational charity founded on 11 September 1973 under the leadership of Lord Scarman, structured as a company limited by guarantee (Company No. 01133537; Charity No. 266331) and operating from its registered office in Bristol. It serves as the leading membership body for the UK technology law community, with a network spanning solicitors, barristers, in-house counsel, regulators (ICO, CMA, DSIT), technologists, academics, judiciary, and students across the UK and internationally. SCL monetises a multi-product platform comprising membership subscriptions (£165/yr standard, free for UK students and trainee lawyers), the Tech Law Essentials (T2) online training programme delivered via Moodle with 12+ modules at £100–£200 per module and £1,530–£3,060 for the full course, the Computers & Law magazine (seasonal plus monthly news review), the Annual AI Conference and other events (webinars from £18, masterclasses up to £300), the SCL Accredited IT Lawyer Scheme (£250+VAT/yr for Senior and Leading tiers), and two dispute resolution services — the SCLA Adjudication Scheme (launched October 2019) and the SCLM Mediation Scheme (launched 8 October 2024).

The underlying technology stack is conventional and primarily consists of standard third-party platforms rather than proprietary infrastructure: the Moodle learning management system for delivering T2 training modules, Zoom for virtual events, the scl.org website for content distribution, membership management, and e-commerce (including credit card and bank transfer payment processing), and WordPress-based digital publishing for C&L Online articles. The charity's IP lies less in technology and more in its content library (Computers & Law archive, online articles, training curriculum), its credentials (accreditation scheme, IFCLA founder-membership), and its standing in the UK tech-law community — including its role in establishing BAILII in 1999 and hosting the IFCLA biannual conference in 1994, 2004, and 2016.

SCL's business model is a diversified, recurring-revenue professional-body model anchored on annual membership and layered with transactional revenue from events, training, accreditation, and corporate sponsorship. The 2026 Corporate Supporter Scheme brochure formalises year-round sponsorship opportunities as a distinct revenue stream. Governance is led by Chief Executive Caroline Gould under President Professor Richard Susskind CBE KC and Vice-President Mark O'Conor (Partner, DLA Piper), with a Board of Trustees chaired by Patricia Shaw (CEO, Beyond Reach) and vice-chaired by Sue McLean (Partner, Baker McKenzie LLP), drawing trustees from DLA Piper, Bristows, CMS, Simmons & Simmons, Mishcon de Reya, Freeths, 4 Pump Court, AWS, Bank of America, and Queen Mary University of London.

Name

Society for Computers and Law

Legal name

Society for Computers and Law

Website

https://scl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Society for Computers and Law (SCL) is a UK-registered educational charity, founded in 1973, serving the technology law community through membership, online training (Tech Law Essentials), publications (Computers & Law magazine), events, professional accreditation, and technology dispute resolution services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Professional Education and Training

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Business Associations (813910), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Law Schools (e.g., Tax, IP, International, Trial Advocacy) (EDAHAIAF)

Keywords

• Legal education services
• Technology law training
• Professional accreditation
• Dispute resolution services
• Membership organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees providing access to website content, Computers & Law magazine, reduced fees for training events, and member-only resources. Standard membership is £165 per year. Free membership available for trainee lawyers and UK students with valid ac.uk email.
2. Event Fees: Revenue from in-person and online events including conferences, webinars, and training sessions. Pricing varies by event with members receiving discounted rates. Examples include Annual AI Conference at £180 (free for members), webinars from £18, and masterclasses at £300 for non-members (£150 for members).
3. Online Training Sales: Sales of individual Tech Law Essentials (T2) modules and complete courses. Per-module pricing: £200 non-members, £100 members. Complete course: £3,060 non-members, £1,530 members. Block booking discounts available for 6+ modules (15% off) or 12+ modules (25% off).
4. Magazine Subscriptions: Revenue from Computers & Law magazine sales. The magazine publishes seasonally (Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn) plus monthly News Review issues.
5. Accreditation Fees: SCL Accredited IT Lawyer Scheme annual fee of £250 + VAT per year in addition to SCL membership. Concessionary rates available on request.
6. Corporate Supporter Scheme: Year-round sponsorship opportunities providing sustained visibility and engagement across the SCL programme. Sponsorship brochure available for 2026.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Society for Computers and Law (SCL) is a UK registered educational charity that provides membership-based access to technology law resources, training and publications. Its core offerings include the Tech Law Essentials (T2) online training programme delivered on the Moodle platform, the Computers & Law magazine, annual conferences and webinars, the SCL Accredited IT Lawyer professional accreditation scheme, and the SCL Adjudication and Mediation Schemes for resolving technology disputes.

Product overview

The Society for Computers and Law operates as an educational charity offering a platform-plus-content model comprising membership-based access to publications, online training programmes, and dispute resolution services. The core offerings include C&L Online (digital content portal), Computers & Law Magazine (print/digital publication), and the Tech Law Essentials (T2) training programme delivered on Moodle with individual modules covering cloud computing, cybersecurity, data protection, IP, outsourcing, and EU regulation. SCL also provides two dispute resolution services: the SCL Adjudication Scheme (SCLA) for binding three-month adjudication and the SCL Mediation Scheme (SCLM) for consensual mediation of technology disputes. Additional offerings include the Annual AI Conference, individual online training modules/webinars, the AI for Schools outreach programme, and the SCL Accredited IT Lawyer professional accreditation scheme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Computers & Law: The society's magazine publication covering technology law topics.

Products and services

• SCL Annual Membership Annual membership subscription providing access to SCL's website content, Computers & Law magazine, reduced fees on training and events, and member-only resources. Standard membership is £165 per year; free membership available for trainee lawyers until qualification and for UK students in full-time education with a valid ac.uk email address.
• Computers & Law Magazine SCL's flagship magazine featuring a balanced selection of practitioner and academic articles on technology law topics, including AI governance, cyber risk, digital disputes, data protection and outsourcing. Available in print and digital, distributed through the SCL website.
• Tech Law Essentials (T2) Comprehensive online training programme covering key areas of IT law practice including cloud computing, cybersecurity, data protection, IP in IT law, outsourcing, IT disputes, blockchain, AI regulation and EU regulated tech environments. Delivered on-demand via the Moodle platform with 12+ modules available for individual or block purchase and one-year access.
• Annual AI Conference SCL's flagship annual conference focusing on AI and law, bringing together experts and practitioners for insights on AI regulation, deployment, legal service delivery and emerging trends. Free for SCL members; £180 for non-members; recordings available for separate purchase.
• Online Training Modules Individual webinar and training sessions covering specific tech law topics, available for purchase individually with member discounts. Includes topic-specific recordings and live sessions such as Contracts Update, Online Safety Consultation and Multi-Vendor Contracts modules.
• SCL Adjudication Scheme (SCLA) Three-month adjudication procedure for resolving technology disputes including software development contracts, outsourcing arrangements, systems integration, IT consultancy, software licensing, blockchain/smart contracts and cloud computing contracts. Designed specifically for the technology sector.
• SCL Mediation Scheme (SCLM) Mediation scheme for consensual resolution of technology disputes in England and Wales, covering disputes involving software development, outsourcing, IT consultancy, software licensing, AI, blockchain/smart contracts and cloud computing. Officially launched 8 October 2024.
• SCL Accredited IT Lawyer Scheme Professional recognition programme with two levels: Senior Accredited IT Lawyer (7+ years experience) and Leading Accredited IT Lawyer (12+ years experience). Includes a digital badge, professional profile on the SCL website, and exclusive networking events. Annual fee of £250 + VAT in addition to SCL membership, with concessionary rates available on request.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Law Society of England and Wales: The statutory professional body for solicitors in England and Wales, with a much broader mandate but overlapping CPD, publications and member accreditation functions that compete with SCL's specialist offerings.
• The Bar Council: The representative body for barristers in England and Wales, with overlapping CPD, training and specialism accreditation including technology law; several SCL trustees are barristers and dual-engaged.
• CILEx (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives): Professional membership body for Chartered Legal Executives, providing CPD, training and accreditation across multiple practice areas including technology-adjacent specialisms.

Direct peers

• ITechLaw (International Technology Law Association): Global membership association for lawyers in technology law — the closest international analogue to SCL, with comparable conferences, publications and member communities covering AI, data, cyber and digital commerce.
• ILTA (International Legal Technology Association): US-headquartered membership organisation for legal technology professionals, running conferences, training and publications aimed at the tech-law intersection — directly comparable community-led educational model to SCL.
• IFCLA (International Federation of Computer Law Associations): International federation of which SCL is a founder member; comparable in scope, with national member associations running similar tech-law events, training and publications across jurisdictions.

Regional players

• Law Society of Scotland: The professional body for Scottish solicitors, with comparable CPD, training, publications and accreditation functions; competes with SCL for UK-wide reach but operates under a separate jurisdiction.

Others

• BAILII (British and Irish Legal Information Institute): Free legal-database charity originally established via SCL in 1999; a sister organisation in the UK legal-informatics ecosystem with overlapping charity/mission-driven operating model.

Emerging players

• Stanford Center for Legal Informatics (CodeX): Academic research centre focused on legal informatics and computational law; complements SCL's practitioner-led approach with research output and an emerging training/community function.
• European Legal Technology Association (ELTA): European network of legal-tech professionals, lawyers and tech providers; an emerging membership-led body with conferences and community programmes that increasingly overlap with SCL's European tech-law remit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/computersandlaw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_tgdPjtgMIWHxJ555buGAA
• Facebookfacebook.com/computersandlaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scl-society-for-computers-and-law-
• Instagraminstagram.com/societyforcomputersandlaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Society for Computers and Law