National law firm Bond Dickinson LLP, which has an office in Aberdeen, has completed its first ever, greatly successful, International Innovation Week in collaboration with its US alliance partner Womble Carlyle.
From Monday to Friday March 20 - 24, events on the topic of innovation were organised across the firm, looking at everything from how innovative technology is transforming the legal industry and other sectors; to how businesses must challenge themselves to develop more efficient business processes and new ways of engaging with clients as a first step to embedding a culture of innovation.
A series of events were held in Bond Dickinson's Aberdeen office to discuss the exciting initiatives happening across Scotland, how businesses in the region must increasingly adapt to the opportunities and challenges presented by modern innovations and what are the predicted impacts of innovation on the future of the legal profession.
Key events in Aberdeen included a breakfast seminar with speakers from Bond Dickinson as well as the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre and the Oil and Gas Technology Centre.
Michael Spence, partner and head of Bond Dickinson's Aberdeen Office, said: "The legal profession has perhaps a reputation for the traditional but the ambition behind Innovation Week is to help tackle this perception.
"We were thrilled with the engagement and interest in our breakfast seminar. Both the Innovation Centre and the Technology Centre are based in Aberdeen and the seminar touched on some very exciting and compelling ideas which businesses are embracing. Innovation is really important and it was great to bring people together from across the City to share ideas and solutions. There are so many incredible initiatives happening in Aberdeen and it is fantastic to be part of it".
Nigel Emmerson, head of innovation at Bond Dickinson added: "The legal sector needs to embrace innovation in order to remain competitive, relevant and progressive. Our Innovation Group has been established to help identify potential innovation opportunities and coordinate initiatives and projects across the firm. Running an International Innovation Week in collaboration with our US alliance firm, Womble Carlyle, provided a clear and sustained focus on innovation that will be hugely beneficial to both firms."
A number of joint webinars were also organised with US law firm Womble Carlyle with staff from both sides of the Atlantic able to tune in and debate on a range of issues including the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and the future of Automation and autonomous ships.
Bond Dickinson was ranked in the Top 5 firms for innovation in the Best Legal Adviser Report for 2016-2017. The report also revealed that innovation in law firms is becoming more important to clients – in 2015 only 28% said it was important whereas in 2016 this rose to 62%. Bond Dickinson was ranked in the Top for both Overall Innovation and Alternative Low Cost Centres.
Based in seven UK cities, Bond Dickinson provides legal services across a range of sectors including energy, financial institutions, insurance, retail, transport, manufacturing, real estate, and private wealth.