Providing Starling’s 88,000 small business customers with customisable and affordable legal services, the lawtech partnership will enable the Starling customer base to access a wealth of legal information tailored to their specific commercial needs.

Starling CEO and founder Anne Boden explains that “businesses are looking to technology to help them solve old problems in new, innovative and cost-effective ways, which is why Sparqa Legal is a very welcome addition to the Starling Marketplace”.

Designed by leading UK barristers and solicitors, Sparqa enables businesses to reduce costs by minimising reliance on traditional legal services. Employment contracts, commercial agreements and trademark applications, to documents covering health and safety and data protection, among others, are provided by the lawtech.

Sparqa is currently the only legal advisor on the bank’s marketplace, with other vendors covering accountancy software, credit facilities, and insurance.

This type of lawtech partnership is only likely to become more prevalent throughout 2020 as banks look to prioritise customer experience by streamlining services across their platforms, and startups with a targeted customer base look for more avenues to connect with the consumer.

Andrew Thornton, CEO of Sparqa Legal and barrister at Erskine Chambers says: “At Sparqa Legal, we passionately believe that, armed with the right tools and resources, smart business managers can produce many of the simple legal documents they require. They can also find out about their rights, obligations and the best course to take.”