Bond Dickinson launches International Innovation Week

National law firm Bond Dickinson LLP, which has a large office in Plymouth, has launched its first ever International Innovation Week in collaboration with its US alliance partner Womble Carlyle.

From Monday 20th to Friday 24th March, 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 Plymouth office to discuss the exciting initiatives happening across the city and what the South West – as the biggest legal hub after London - can do to keep ahead of the curve.

Key events in Plymouth included a webinar jointly presented by Bond Dickinson and Womble Carlyle looking at the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) project, a pioneering project to design, build and sail the world’s first full-sized, fully autonomous unmanned vessel across the Atlantic. Powered by state-of-the-art renewable energy technology, the Ship will host a fleet of drones through which it will conduct research experiments during the crossing. The project is currently being developed by a partnership of the University of Plymouth, autonomous craft specialists MSubs, and public charity Promare which promotes marine research and exploration worldwide.

Later on in the week, Barclays' tech experts – known as Digital Eagles – delivered a presentation on the innovative projects that Barclays is currently undertaking.

Craig Moore, Partner and Head of Bond Dickinson's Plymouth Office, said: "Innovation is at the heart of what many of our clients do, and as a top five firm for innovation, here at Bond Dickinson we are developing a culture of innovation to help us drive our business forward and have a mind-set that reflects our clients'.

"Around 2,300 staff across Bond Dickinson's and Womble Carlyle's offices tuned in to listen to the presentation by Paddy Dowsett on the Mayflower Autonomous Ship, which was a great opportunity for us to promote a world leading Plymouth-based initiative with our colleagues in the UK and across the Atlantic."

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 the Things, Artificial Intelligence and the future of automation.

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. Bond Dickinson is the largest law firm in Plymouth where it employs more than 180 staff.