Eversheds Sutherland has hired ex Barclays lawtech strategy adviser and head of legal automation Darren Jones into its company commercial practice group, in a bid to ensure that technology is an integrated part of its client service.
Jones, whose title will be head of service excellence, will be responsible for implementing a new strategy to develop and apply offerings around legal technology, legal project management, service excellence and knowledge.
A qualified solicitor, at Barclays Jones advised legal, business and infrastructure teams on the future delivery of legal services including defining a LawTech strategy and managing a portfolio of projects (including workflow, document generation, e-signatures and AI).
Keri Rees, co-head of global company commercial commented:“Our clients are telling us that whilst firms are talking about technology, few are proactively delivering it. Darren’s appointment will help ensure technology is an integrated part of the service we provide to our clients, actively differentiating ourselves from the competition through the quality of service we will then be able to offer.”
As law firms increasingly devolve responsibility for IT out to their various practice areas, the challenge will be to avoid the competition between teams to ‘own’ a project that has traditionally taken place between the likes of KM and IT (and we hear is at an all time and often debilitating high.)