A Brighton law firm representing a US software company in a £14.75m claim against Metro Bank says technology is levelling the playing field between smaller practices and industry giants.
Software provider Arkeyo LLC is suing the high street lender over allegations it breached copyright and licensing agreements linked to coin counting machines used in branches.
Helix Law, a single-office firm which leans heavily on legal technology, is acting for Arkeyo, while Metro Bank has instructed heavyweight firm Eversheds Sutherland.
The case is set to reach the High Court on 17 September.
“By breaching their agreement with our client, Metro Bank has not only caused financial damage, but severely damaged its own reputation and trust among its customers,” said Alex Cook, partner at Helix Law.
“More widely, we see this as a David and Goliath moment for our industry. Taking on a major retail bank on behalf of a much smaller client shows what is possible when you combine legal expertise with the latest technology.”
The lawsuit stems from a long-running dispute between the two companies, who worked together between 2010 and 2016.
Arkeyo claims its technology, used in Metro Bank’s so-called ‘Magic Money Machines’, was later replicated without permission, infringing trade secrets.
Helix Law says its use of AI and other tools has dramatically reduced case costs, with disclosure being brought down to £100,000, far below the £557,000 estimated by Metro Bank’s legal team.
Cook explained: “The cost savings are game-changing.
“In this case they have enabled a small software company to continue its fight against a much larger giant.
“As an independent firm ourselves, we understand how challenging access to this type of justice can be.”
Helix estimates its approach typically delivers savings of up to 60% on comparable cases by deploying specialist legal AI tools, which it argues larger firms have been slow to adopt.
Cook continued: “During our disclosure review process we identified deficiencies in Metro Bank’s submissions, which will be addressed at the High Court later this year.
“Without our cutting-edge software, or a huge legal team, this might have gone unnoticed.
“Freeing up our lawyers’ time not only saves clients money, but it enables our experts to pay attention to details that really matter.
“Larger firms have been slow to adapt because of the impact it could have on their billing models, but change is coming, and smaller firms are at the forefront of it.”
Fresh funding for listed Aurrigo to scale up self-driving technology