The Financial Times Innovative Lawyers awards recognize intrapreneurs driving change within law firms. This year, Břetislav Šimral, innovation and intelligence director for Dentons in Europe, was named winner for his leadership on insights and culture. He developed Daisy, an in-house AI platform launched in 2025, which allows secure switching between AI models.

His efforts also include an AI empowerment strategy with hackathons, leading to tools like Legal Radar, a “legal health check” that flags risks and opportunities. Dentons reports AI tool usage rose from 20,000 to 250,000 monthly interactions in a year. Other finalists included Mary Bonsor of Mishcon de Reya, who created the GC Academy, and Carlos Coelho of Morais Leitão, who led digital transformation as the firm’s first non-lawyer partner.