From 18-22 March, Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) is holding an International Innovation Week. Now in its third year, the celebration will see 18 events taking place in the UK and US, looking at innovative technology that is transforming the legal industry and other sectors, how businesses challenge themselves to develop more efficient processes, and new ways of engaging with clients to embed a culture of innovation.
The events will present opportunities for all staff from both sides of the Atlantic to listen, learn, debate and create, through a series of open invitation webinars, workshops, roundtable events and discussions.
Two international events will be hosted by VC across WBD's 27 offices featuring prominent speakers. On Monday 18 March in London, Mathematician and Science Presenter Dr Hannah Fry will lead a session on 'How to be human in the age of the machine', looking at the good, the bad and the ugly algorithms that are all around us and whether we should rely on them and trust them over our own judgement. On Friday 22 March, futurist keynote speaker Michael Rogers will lead 'The virtualization of the world' session, hosted from the Palo Alto office. Michael will touch on a number of points, from the future of physical offices to how the next generation will prefer to interact.
There will also be a UK panel discussion facilitated by Nigel Emmerson, Head of Innovation at WBD, to discuss the innovation happening within the firm and the agile solutions WBD provides to its clients including WBD Advance, a flexible service launched last year that brings together innovative technology and commercial offering that complement the firm's existing legal advice.
In addition, a series of regional events will be hosted across the UK and US offices that will be relevant to local clients and initiatives.
Nigel Emmerson, UK Head of Innovation at WBD, comments:
"We're delighted to be holding International Innovation Week for the third year running. The event provides a spotlight for firm wide projects and new ways of working that will be hugely beneficial for our people on both sides of the Atlantic. The celebration enables us to further build on knowledge exchange and best practice with our US colleagues and our 'Close to Home' events give us the opportunity to find out more about the exciting and nimble initiatives happening in our regions."
Steve Clinton, Partner at WBD US, added:
"Our clients are among the most innovative businesses in the world. Innovation Week is just one of the ways we strive to be like many of our clients by showing our commitment to embracing the innovation culture. There’s no doubt in my mind that Innovation Week helps us become a better firm ever year."