Dr Ula Cartwright-Finch
Legal Psychology, Behavioural Science and Decision-Making Expert
Specialist in applying behavioural and cognitive science to law, investigations and organisational decision-making.
Biography
Ula is an internationally recognised expert on the application of psychological and behavioural science to legal practice, investigations and business decision-making. A solicitor advocate by background, she spent more than twelve years at Herbert Smith Freehills and Linklaters acting as counsel in complex arbitration, litigation and regulatory proceedings for investment banks, corporates and governments across Europe and Asia. Her legal career has also included senior in-house and advisory roles in Compliance at Goldman Sachs, Regulatory at Three, and Risk in a global professional services firm, giving her deep, practical insight into the regulatory and conduct environments of major financial institutions.
Alongside her legal practice, Ula holds a doctorate in cognitive psychology from University College London and an MA in Psychology from the University of St Andrews, where her studies focused on human attention and memory, behavioural neuroscience, computational neuroscience and artificial intelligence. She now brings these disciplines together in her work as Founder of Cortex Capital, where she educates legal professionals and conducts original research on the cognitive and behavioural dimensions of law, decision-making and organisational practice.
Ula is widely recognised for her ground-breaking work on fact-witness accuracy in investigations and interviewing, designing and delivering advanced training for law firms, corporates, regulators and enforcement teams globally. Her research portfolio focuses on applying empirical psychological science to real-world legal and regulatory practice. She is commissioned by global institutions, such as the International Bar Association, to lead research projects on topics including professional decision-making under uncertainty, diversity in arbitral tribunals, and the reliability of fact witness memory.
Ula is a Research Fellow at the University of Warwick and lectures on Strategic Decision-Making at Queen Mary University of London. She is also a frequent guest lecturer and speaker to legal, academic and professional audiences internationally. Ula publishes regularly on the application of psychological science to legal practice, investigations and organisational decision-making.