Herbert Smith Freehills partner and alternative legal services (ALT) head Libby Jackson has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s Birthday 2019 Honours List.
Jackson (cited as Elizabeth Jane Bewick Jackson in the Honours List) has been recognised for her services to the Northern Ireland economy and innovation in Law. Her achievements include establishing and leading HSF’s Belfast office, which was launched in 2011 and was the firm’s first dedicated ALT hub as well as the first near-shore operation to be launched by an international law firm. The ALT business has grown from 19 fee-earners to a multidisciplinary, global team of more than 350 lawyers, legal analysts and legal technologists in 11 locations around the world.
Commenting on her appointment, Jackson said: “I am honoured and humbled to be appointed an MBE. So many amazing and talented people at Herbert Smith Freehills have been part of our shared success building ALT. Together we have turned the firm’s first-mover innovation in Belfast into a global, technology-enabled service for our clients driven by technical legal excellence.
“Northern Ireland will always be close to my heart. It is an amazing place to build a business. We are particularly grateful to Invest Northern Ireland for all their support since 2011. The talent, energy and high performance of our team over the last eight years attests to how great the region is as a place for making innovation happen.”