Managing Director & Global Innovation Leader · Morae
Rico Burnett
I help global legal teams turn GenAI from pilot project to boardroom proof — designing intelligent legal operating systems that deliver measurable results, from Cape Town to the world.
Cape Town · Western Cape · South Africa
Latest Insights
Recent talks, panels & ideas
Legal Innovation Summit Africa
Exploring how generative AI is reshaping legal services across the African continent.
Read more →WorkshopTop GenAI Opportunity Areas & How to Execute
A practical workshop from the Legal Innovation & Technology Festival, May 2025.
Read more →PanelThe True Value of GenAI in Legal
Closing debate from CLOC Australia 2025 on measuring the real impact of generative AI in legal practice.
Read more →About
Where law, data, and technology meet
After a decade of practicing law in technology and intellectual property, I realised I wanted to be at the center of the rapidly changing world of digital transformation — not just advising on it. Based in Cape Town, I bring a distinctly African and emerging-market perspective to global legaltech conversations — a lens that is increasingly sought after as the continent's legal market rapidly evolves.
As Managing Director & Global Innovation Leader at Morae, I serve as a strategic innovation advisor to our business, our clients, and the wider legal-tech industry. I spearhead innovation and R&D with a focus on creating practical, effective technology solutions, and I provide expert guidance on implementation and real, measurable ROI for our global clients.
I'm fascinated by what happens when a new technology, an old problem, and a big idea come together — and I've built my career helping legal teams harness that intersection to reduce risk, improve performance, and uncover a single source of truth across their processes.
At Morae, I lead a multidisciplinary team of data scientists, mathematicians, software developers, and automation experts, partnering with clients to implement the right technology solutions to grow their business, reduce risk, and capitalise on technological advancement.
As part of a truly international, dynamic and diverse organization, I can contribute to the creation of secure, scalable solutions that drive real outcomes for our clients and business partners.
Experience
A career across law, innovation & investment
Managing Director & Global Innovation Leader
- Spearhead innovation and R&D, focused on creating practical, effective technology solutions for clients.
- Serve as strategic innovation advisor to the business, clients, and the broader legal-tech industry.
- Provide expert guidance on technology implementation and measurable ROI for global clients.
Director of Client Innovation
- Shaped client legal strategy, implemented operational goals, and positioned legal teams for future success.
- Applied emerging technologies and big ideas to the toughest challenges facing legal services.
- Built and led teams delivering innovative yet practical solutions as a strategic partner to clients' businesses.
Director of Investments
- Responsible for early-stage venture analysis, opportunity identification, and portfolio management.
- Engaged with technology startups and early-stage corporates as both investor and potential client.
- Led the "Mind Factory" innovation unit — combining data, technology, and human intelligence to build document automation, workflows, and analytical models.
Global Head of Legal Services & Solutions
- Directed Exigent's global legal solutions team across the US, Canada, UK, Australia, India, and South Africa.
- Built a dynamic environment delivering innovative, practical solutions to complex client challenges.
- Deepened expertise in project management, legal technology, contract analytics, and process improvement.
Head of Commercial Legal Services
- Developed and implemented successful legal-service outsourcing strategies.
- Delivered legal support to corporate and legal clients: contract review, due diligence, compliance, and contract management.
- Provided project management, process mapping, and technology implementation focused on efficiency and knowledge transfer.
Senior Associate — Technology, Media, Telecoms & IP
- Handled all commercial aspects of IP law: trade marks, copyright, and advertising/marketing advice.
- Led commercial drafting and agreement negotiation, plus company and domain name objections.
- Seconded as Legal Advisor to Brandhouse Beverages (Diageo / Heineken / Namibia Breweries JV), 2013.
Associate
- Reviewed general commercial agreements, drafted IP agreements, and conducted due diligence investigations.
Speaking Engagements
On stage & in conversation
Invited to the event's closing session — a panel debate on the true value of GenAI in legal.
Argued that most GenAI legal pilots fail not for technical reasons, but for lack of clear ROI definition before deployment.
"The Digital Handshake: How algorithmic decision-making has changed the way we contract." A strategic consulting perspective.
Explored how algorithmic decision-making is changing contract formation and the legal concept of consent.
"Top GenAI opportunity areas & how to execute targeted use cases." A practical workshop.
Practical workshop walking legal teams through targeted GenAI use cases with measurable outcomes.
Panel discussion on the successful implementation of a Legal Metrics programme to deliver value.
Presented a live Legal Metrics programme that delivered demonstrable value across a global legal function.
"Data Democracy and the Future of Usable Data."
Made the case for treating legal data as a strategic boardroom asset, not just an operational output.
"How the use of data analytics helps create value in the boardroom."
Topics I speak on
Book me as Speaker
I speak on practical AI in legal, GenAI use cases and execution, AI governance, data strategy, and legal innovation — with a particular focus on the African and emerging-market legal landscape.
Send a speaking enquiry →Highlights
Accomplishments & expertise
- Led legal-tech solution delivery across six jurisdictions — US, Canada, UK, Australia, India, and South Africa.
- Founded and led the "Mind Factory" innovation unit at Exigent.
- Lead a multidisciplinary innovation team of data scientists, mathematicians, software developers, and automation experts at Morae.
- Invited speaker at premier industry events including ILTACON (USA) and CLOC Australia.
- 18+ year career spanning private legal practice, global legal-services leadership, and venture investment.
Areas of Expertise
Education & Credentials
Foundations
Education
- BA LLB, Law & EnglishStellenbosch University · 2001–2005
- Level 1 Intellectual Property ExaminationsSAIIPL — SA Institute of Intellectual Property Law
- Certificate, Managing Technical ProfessionalsUniversity of Cape Town · 2021
- Elements of AIUniversity of Helsinki · 2020
Certifications
- Preparing Your Organization for AI Agents
- Leveraging AI for Governance, Risk & Compliance
- Introduction to Prompt Engineering for Generative AI
- Become an AI-Powered People Manager
- Digital Transformation
Contact
Let's connect
I enjoy few things more than sharing ideas to create answers. Whether it's a speaking invitation, a client conversation, or a new idea worth exploring — I'd love to hear from you.