Danae Shell
Making legal services accessible through technology.
Making legal services accessible through technology
Danae Shell is CEO of Edinburgh-based Valla Ltd, a legal technology platform that helps consumers identify, evaluate and take action on employment legal issues. Growing up in the Appalachian mountains where she taught herself to code on a garage-sale Apple II computer, her journey from self-taught programmer to legal tech innovator began with the Scottish Parliament’s first e-petitioning system.
Over 12 million potential legal claims arise in the UK annually for employment issues, yet most people lack access to legal help. With initial case assessments from law firms costing £250-£500 and many unable to afford this expense, there’s a critical gap in access to justice. Valla recognises that black and Asian communities are 140% more likely to experience legal issues, yet face some of the highest levels of unmet legal need. It’s mission is to make legal services more accessible and affordable for everyone.
Danae’s achievements reflect her dedication to transforming legal access. Named a Disruptive Innovator by AccelerateHer in 2022, she serves on the Law Society of Scotland’s Tech advisory board and the National User Group for the England and Wales Employment Tribunal. Under her leadership, Valla has supported over 10,000 cases since launch. “I’m blown away to be selected for the Women in Innovation Award,” says Danae. “Valla is at a critical scaling point in our journey and the Award is coming at a perfect time to help me level up as a leader.”
“The biggest barrier I’ve had to overcome is the permission to be ambitious,” Danae reflects. “Women are rarely rewarded for ambition. I’ve worked on pushing myself to scale my ambition to the size of the problem.”
Her advice to aspiring women innovators? “Work on building up your ambition muscle – women aren’t typically taught to do this. Your idea has a much bigger impact than you think.”
For more information on Women in Innovation
Find out more about the Women in Innovation Award and other support available across the Innovate UK ecosystem on the Women in Innovation programme page.