Texas-headquartered Am Law 200 firm Jackson Walker has promoted longtime technology leader Bill Finner to chief information officer and chief knowledge services officer Greg Lambert as its first-ever chief innovation officer.
Lambert, who is a well-known commentator in the legal technology space and a co-founder of the 3 Geeks and a Law Blog and Geek in Review Podcast, will lead the firm’s efforts around technologies including generative AI, automation, and data-driven solutions.
Lambert told Legal IT Insider: “This role is important to Jackson Walker because it reflects our optimism that the practice of law can always improve and that new technologies will help us deliver smarter solutions for our attorneys, business professionals, and most importantly, our clients.
“One thing I’m particularly excited about focusing on is turning AI and automation from pilot programs, and one-off projects into tools that make our attorneys’ work faster and deliver more insightful results.
“One of the big challenges I think law firms will face in the year ahead is moving from experimentation with AI to secure, scalable adoption that truly adds value,” Lambert said.
He added: “At Jackson Walker, we’ve already seen a big impact from our willingness to experiment with AI and new technologies and build momentum that benefits both our people and our clients.”
Since joining Jackson Walker in 2012, Lambert has led the firm’s library, research, conflicts, and knowledge services teams.
As CIO, meanwhile, Finner will continue to oversee the firm’s data centers, cloud-hosted systems, networking, voice and video platforms, and cybersecurity strategy, while expanding his mandate to include enterprise architecture and long-term technology planning. He will also manage vendor relationships, negotiate technology contracts, and ensure robust disaster-recovery and business-continuity capabilities.
Finner said. “Our technology infrastructure is the backbone of everything we do, and I look forward to supporting the firm’s innovation goals with robust and scalable systems.”
Finner joined Jackson Walker in 2009 and most recently served as director of networking & technical infrastructure.