LONDON, September 28, 2026 – Proskauer is pleased to announce that Oliver Howley has won the Innovative Practitioner award at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe Awards 2026. Oliver, a partner in Proskauer’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group and co-chair of the Firm’s Technology Strategy Committee, was selected by a panel of judges from a shortlist of 10 lawyers compiled by FT research partner RSGI.
The award recognises Oliver’s work at the forefront of AI adoption in private equity, designing legal and operational frameworks for firms seeking to embrace the technology’s potential responsibly, at volume and at pace. The award also recognises Oliver’s work with private capital firms investing in AI businesses and his experience advising on 18 AI product launches over the past 18 months. Several of those launches required contractual frameworks to be developed from first principles, including the framework for the launch of the world’s first enterprise autonomous AI browser. Oliver’s clients include Perplexity, Hg, Atomico, Deliveroo, Callosum, PhysicsX, and Midpage AI.
The FT noted that Oliver “stood out,” with one judge observing that “a career in the law nowadays means being more strategic” and that Oliver presents “a great story” of how lawyers at the peak can best advise clients.
“Oliver’s recognition is an exceptional achievement and a fitting acknowledgment of his leadership in this transformative and rapidly evolving area,” said Tim Mungovan, Chairman of Proskauer. “He combines a deep understanding of the technology with a firm command of the legal and operational issues enmeshed in it. That combination has made him the market leader at the intersection of AI and the law.”
“I am honoured to receive this recognition from the Financial Times,” Oliver said. “AI is reshaping the business landscape, and our work at Proskauer gives us a view of that change from every side. We advise developers bringing new products to market, investors backing companies across the sector, and organisations putting AI to work at scale. That perspective enables us to provide advice that is both legally robust and commercially useful, and to build frameworks that allow clients to push boundaries and move quickly while maintaining the right governance. The award reflects the work of colleagues across Proskauer’s AI practice, and I am grateful to our clients for the trust they place in us.”
The award follows Oliver’s inclusion in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 earlier this year, where he was described as “among a small group of advisors shaping how AI is built, bought and governed in practice.”
Read Oliver’s Financial Times Innovative Lawyers profile.