Richard Somerfield

Richard, tell us about your career history and expertise

I’ve always been interested in computers, for as long as I can remember. My dad had a computer at home and I spent a lot of time exploring what it could do. Early in my career, that curiosity was very focused on the technology itself, but over time it evolved into something broader.

As I progressed, I became much more interested in how different ideas, technologies and concepts can be connected to create something new.  I spent some time in a research-led technology role, which really reinforced that some of the biggest advances come from joining dots across different fields. The more you expose yourself to different ways of thinking, the more opportunities you have to see those connections.

A particularly formative part of my career was spending two and a half years in Silicon Valley, helping to open and build a new tech office for a UK-based company. Working alongside Silicon Valley natives was a huge learning experience. The UK approach to technology can be more cautious – write it down, prove it out, then build – whereas in Silicon Valley it’s far more exploratory. You often don’t know what the idea is until you start experimenting.

One moment in particular really stuck with me. We were working on a new product when a competitor launched something similar. My instinct was to pause and rethink, but my colleague’s response was the opposite: it validated the problem, so we should move faster. That shift in mindset – seeing competition as a validation rather than a threat – changed how I approach product development and innovation, and it’s something I’ve carried with me ever since.

What first attracted you to Summize?

I joined Summize almost six years ago – technically as the third employee, after Tom Dunlop and David Smith had founded the company. At the time, I didn’t have a legal background, and my instincts about legal contracts were that they were fairly modular, like building blocks you could slot together in a predictable way. What surprised me was just how bespoke contracts are and how much they rely on experience, judgment and precedent.

What really drew me in, and what still excites me, is the opportunity to work closely with customers and with people like Tom, bringing his experience as a former General Counsel directly into the product. Every day there’s a chance to connect ideas, learn something new and apply technology in a way that genuinely helps legal teams. It’s a fast-moving, competitive space and that energy is a big part of why I love working at Summize.

What does it mean to be a CTO at Summize?

The CTO role can look very different depending on the company and where that company is in its journey. At Summize, it’s still very hands-on. On any given day, I might be talking to customers, making strategic decisions or writing code alongside the team.

I see my role less as a traditional manager and more as a facilitator. Often, people already have the answers, they just need the space or the right questions to surface them. One thing that’s really stuck with me is that the most helpful person in the room isn’t the one with all the answers, but the one asking the right questions.

A big part of my role is helping the team work through challenges, remove blockers and build confidence in the decisions they’re already close to making, while still staying involved in our contract lifecycle management (CLM) solution itself.

What do you find most interesting about the legal tech space?

The legal tech space is still relatively early in its evolution, and that’s what makes it so interesting. There’s a huge opportunity to help legal teams work more effectively, without losing the nuance and expertise that’s core to what they do.

In recent years, particularly with the rise of generative AI, the competitive landscape has grown quickly. Some people see that as a threat, but I see it as an opportunity. If someone else has tried something new, there’s always something to learn from it. That curiosity – looking at what others are doing and asking how we can learn from it and improve – is incredibly important. The pace of change, combined with the complexity of legal work, makes this a genuinely exciting space to be building in.

What does the future look like at Summize, and what are you most excited about?

What excites me most is that sense of contribution – from individuals, teams and the business as a whole. This is a dynamic market and there’s always an opportunity to develop personally, improve the product and better support customers. I love coming to work, and a big part of that is the people. Across Summize, you can feel the same energy and mindset, regardless of role or department. It’s not something that’s written down as a formal strength, just how the company operates.

As we grow, I don’t see that changing. If anything, that collaborative, curious culture becomes even more important, and long may it continue.