London Hacking Legal · GovTech Edition

Rewrite how the state files serves.

A two-day hackathon where law, code and public service meet. 40 hackers, 10 teams, real challenges from public administration in Bavaria and the UK.

When
7–8 April 2027
Wednesday and Thursday
Where
Goethe-Institut London
50 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, SW7 2PH
With
Georg Eisenreich, MdL
former Bavarian State Minister of Justice
Register your interest

Organised by

Office of the Free State of Bavaria in the United Kingdom

Hosted at the Goethe-Institut London · With Georg Eisenreich, MdL

§ 1The challenge

Build tools that make public administration faster, fairer and easier to use.

Courts, ministries and agencies bring real problems. Teams have two days to turn them into working prototypes, and the best ones get a path to a pilot.

This is the first UK edition of MUNICH HACKING LEGAL, held in the spirit of the German–British Kensington Treaty. The focus is the public sector, not BigLaw.

  • AI in case handlingAssist courts and agencies with triage, drafting and review.
  • Plain-language accessMake decisions, forms and rights understandable to everyone.
  • Digital proceduresPermits and applications that work online from start to finish.
  • Cross-border regulationNavigate UK and EU rules for people and businesses.
§ 2Programme

Two days, from briefing to pitch.

Day 1 · Kick-off

Wednesday, 7 April 2027

  1. Arrival and welcome
  2. Official opening and keynotes
  3. Challenge briefings, teams start hacking
  4. Welcome reception

Day 2 · Build and pitch

Thursday, 8 April 2027

  1. Hacking with mentor check-ins
  2. Final pitches to the jury
  3. Awards and closing reception in the library

Programme details may change. Full timings will be published with the applications.

§ 3Who should apply

Mixed teams of three to four.

  • (a)Students of law, computer science, design and public policy at London universities
  • (b)Developers, lawyers and policy people early in their careers
  • (c)Aspiring founders who want to build for the public sector
  • (d)Anyone with a link to Germany or Bavaria and an idea worth testing

Mentors from legal tech, venture capital and public administration support the teams. A jury of sponsors and independent experts selects the winners.

§ 4Organisers

Brought to you by.

Office of the Free State of Bavaria in the UKProject lead
Liquid Legal InstituteLeading international think-tank for Legal Transformation and Foresight
Legal Tech Colab · UnternehmerTUMLeading center for innovation and business creation
Goethe-Institut LondonHost venue

Interested in sponsoring a challenge or supporting with mentors? Get in touch below.

§ 5Apply

Applications open in February 2027.

Register your interest now and we will let you know when applications open. The form takes two minutes. Sponsors and mentors can use the same form.

Register your interest

The registration form opens shortly.

Information is processed in line with the privacy notice of the Bavarian State Government.