Garfield AI Founder Philip Young Featured on Law Firm Founder Conversations Podcast

London, 28 October 2025 – Philip Young, co-founder and CEO of Garfield AI, was featured on the Law Firm Founder Conversations podcast with Clare Murray, founder and managing partner of CM Murray LLP. The wide-ranging discussion explored building an AI-powered law firm, the strategic value of SRA regulation, and maintaining work-life balance whilst transforming the legal sector.

SRA Regulation as Trust Differentiator

A significant portion of the conversation focused on Garfield AI's decision to pursue SRA regulation, a path rarely taken by legal technology companies. Young explained that regulation functions as far more than mere compliance, it serves as a fundamental trust differentiator in a market where consumers need assurance about AI-powered legal services.

Regulation isn't just a box-ticking exercise. It's a signal to clients that we're held to the same professional standards as traditional law firms, with the same consumer protections, whilst delivering services at a fraction of the cost.

Philip Young, Co-founder and CEO, Garfield AI

This strategic approach has positioned Garfield AI uniquely in the legal technology landscape, combining the innovation and efficiency of technology companies with the accountability and consumer protection of regulated legal services.

Angel Investors Over Venture Capital

Young discussed Garfield AI's deliberate funding philosophy, choosing angel investors over venture capital to preserve the company's access-to-justice mission. This decision reflects a fundamental tension in legal technology: balancing growth ambitions with maintaining affordable pricing for SMEs who need legal services most.

Venture capital often demands growth trajectories that conflict with access to justice. Angel investors who understand and share our mission allow us to maintain pricing that genuinely expands access, rather than simply replacing expensive traditional services with slightly less expensive technology solutions.

Philip Young, Co-founder and CEO, Garfield AI

This approach demonstrates how funding decisions fundamentally shape a legal technology company's ability to serve its intended market and maintain its core values.

Building Modern Legal Teams

The conversation explored the composition of modern legal teams, with Young highlighting how Garfield AI blends Legal Engineers, Developers, and hybrid roles that didn't exist in traditional law firms. This team structure reflects the interdisciplinary nature of building AI-powered legal services that must combine legal expertise, technical capability, and user experience design.

We're not replacing lawyers with technology. We're creating new roles that combine legal knowledge with technical skills, and empowering legal professionals to serve more clients more effectively through intelligent automation.

Philip Young, Co-founder and CEO, Garfield AI

Founder Resilience and Learning from Failure

Young shared candid insights about managing failure as a learning opportunity, emphasising that "the cover-up, not the mistake, that ends careers." This transparency-first approach has shaped Garfield AI's culture and its relationships with regulators, investors, and clients.

The discussion touched on the psychological challenges of building a company in a regulated industry, where innovation must be balanced against professional responsibility and consumer protection. Young's perspective offers valuable lessons for other founder-lawyers navigating similar tensions.

Challenging Legal Traditions

Murray and Young explored which traditions in law firms represent genuine virtues versus inherited practices that may no longer serve clients' best interests. This reflection prompted deeper questions about how AI is transforming legal services and which aspects of traditional legal practice genuinely add value.

Not every tradition deserves preservation. The question is whether a practice serves clients or simply serves the profession's historical structures. AI gives us the opportunity to keep what works and reimagine what doesn't.

Philip Young, Co-founder and CEO, Garfield AI

The 5:02 Home: Work-Life Balance in Legal Innovation

The podcast's subtitle, "Catching the 5:02 Home", reflects Young's commitment to work-life balance. Whilst building the law firm CYK, which Young co-founded in 2009, and despite big ticket litigation being a long hours high intensity job, he always made a point of catching the 5:02 train home to spend time with his family.

This philosophy extends to how Garfield AI designs its services, recognising that affordable legal services for small businesses shouldn't come at the expense of sustainable working conditions for legal professionals, human or AI-augmented.

About Law Firm Founder Conversations

Law Firm Founder Conversations is hosted by Clare Murray, founder and managing partner of CM Murray LLP. The podcast explores the challenges, decisions, and insights of legal entrepreneurs building innovative law firms in a rapidly evolving sector.

Building the Future of Legal Services

Philip Young's appearance on Law Firm Founder Conversations demonstrates Garfield AI's growing recognition as a thought leader in legal innovation. The company's approach, combining SRA regulation, mission-aligned funding, and AI-powered automation, offers a model for how legal technology can genuinely expand access to justice whilst maintaining professional standards.

The podcast is available on CM Murray's website and major podcast platforms.

For more information about Garfield AI and its approach to AI-powered legal services, visit garfield.law.

Media Contact: Philip Young – philip@garfield.law Daniel Long – dan@garfield.law