News 30 Nov 2020 3 min read

Graham Smith-Bernal Opus 2 Founder receives Lifetime Contributor Award

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Graham Smith-Bernal, Opus 2 Founder, receives Lifetime Contributor Award

“The speed with which lawyers, judges and arbitrators have embraced virtual and hybrid hearings is an example to the world of how to overcome challenges that will lead to a greener, more efficient, expeditious, and more collaborative legal process.”

We are thrilled to share news that our Founder, Graham Smith-Bernal, has won a Lifetime Contributor award for Supplier Innovation at the Legal Innovation Awards 2020. Graham has been a creative force in legal technology development for over 30 years, with this award a deserved recognition for his ingenuity and entrepreneurship.

Graham started out in the industry as a court reporter and quickly saw a gap in the market for a transcription service which allowed lawyers to watch and annotate what was being said in real-time. This led to the creation of Smith Bernal International in 1995, before developing the world-renowned LiveNote Software which was ultimately sold to Thomson Reuters in 2006.

Then came Opus 2, which Graham founded in 2006, delivering pioneering, cutting-edge technology that has revolutionised the way that lawyers work in the digital world. The solutions offered by Opus 2 have been at the forefront of technology in the sector for some time, with the situation in 2020 further demonstrating the value of such services.

The Legal Innovation Awards were held online and broadcast digitally, and upon receiving the lifetime contributor award, Graham said: “I would like to start by thanking all the pioneering lawyers and judges who have supported me and my companies over the last 30 years plus. Without your willingness to embrace a better, more efficient way of conducting trials, arbitrations and public enquiries, our development efforts would surely have floundered.

“The English legal system is the envy of the world and the bedrock of our democracy, but few people appreciate that it is also the global leader for innovation”, he added.

Graham went onto highlight the complexities throughout the past year, and the incredible efforts of not only the team at Opus 2 but the legal sector worldwide in being able to adapt and thrive in the face of such challenges.

“I particularly want to thank them [Opus 2 team] for all their exceptional work and dedication to the cause that has led to the software being successfully implemented, sometimes in the most trying of circumstances”, said Graham.

All of us at Opus 2 would like to congratulate Graham on this deserved recognition for his ground-breaking contribution to the legal sector – we look forward to continued innovation and successful delivery of our solutions worldwide.