Legal hackathon bolsters Gilbert + Tobin’s long-standing client relationship with Westpac and continues the firm’s pursuit of innovation, excellence and collaboration.

Today Gilbert + Tobin announced the successful conclusion of its inaugural legal ‘hackathon’ hosted in conjunction with Westpac’s Legal & Secretariat team. The hackathon which commenced on Thursday 28 January, involved more than 50 lawyers and technology specialists from Gilbert + Tobin, Westpac and start-up law firm LegalVision. Gilbert + Tobin recently invested in LegalVision.

Gilbert + Tobin’s Chief Operating Officer Sam Nickless said, “The aim of the hackathon was to develop and prototype innovative solutions to a range of common legal requests and operational issues identified by Westpac’s in-house legal team.”

A prototype portal for legal self-service and response management developed by team ‘Engagement Hackers’ was announced the winner of the hackathon from a field of exciting applications. The hackathon was judged by a panel consisting of Westpac Senior Operational Managers and Gilbert + Tobin Partners.

“Collaborating with G+T allowed us to develop and crystallise long held ideas within 24 hours,” a Westpac participant said.

Gilbert + Tobin has advised Westpac for more than a decade.

The firm won Australia Client Service Law Firm of the Year at the 2015 Chambers Asia-Pacific Awards and placed second overall in the Financial Times Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers Awards 2015.