Contributors

One year ago, the UK’s Bond Dickinson and US firm Womble Carlyle officially joined forces, creating Womble Bond Dickinson. The combination was the result of careful, long-term planning by both firms, but, still, such a radical change represented a major leap of faith for attorneys on both continents.

That faith was justified. After one year, Womble Bond Dickinson and its clients have enjoyed numerous and notable successes. Some of the highlights include:

  • October 2017: Womble Bond Dickinson opens its Boston office , the firm’s first location in the Northeast and New England.
  • December 2017: Just weeks after the combination, Womble Bond Dickinson Co-Chair spoke at the Milken Institute London Summit to discuss “on US Overview: Big Markets, Big Politics”.
  • January: Womble Bond Dickinson expanded into Los Angeles and Orange County , and strengthened its Silicon Valley office, with the addition of leading California IP firm Blakely Sokoloff Taylor Zafman, LLP.
  • February: The UK Government accepted Womble Bond Dickinson as a member of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership Programme , demonstrating the firm’s commitment to promoting the strengths of the North and supporting the Northern economy.
  • March: Womble Bond Dickinson lawyers from both sides of the Atlantic joined forces with Globalization Partners and the UK Consulate in Boston for a lunch and learn on Doing Business in the UK.
  • March: Womble Bond Dickinson held an International Innovation Week with transatlantic events exploring:
    • Demystifying Cryptocurrency and Blockchain;
    • AI in Business; and
    • What Makes a Law Firm Innovative?
    There were 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.
  • April: Womble Bond Dickinson hosted the firm’s first Dispute Resolution conference at The British Library in London. Richard Collins (UK) and Ellen Gregg (US) were among the panel discussion participants.
  • April: To celebrate World IP Day on April 26, Womble Bond Dickinson IP, Technology and Data Team attorneys in the UK and US created a series of “Transatlantic Top Tips” videos. Each of the four short animated videos provided guidance to businesses, companies and individuals seeking to capture and protect their intellectual property rights on both sides of the Atlantic. Click here to watch the videos .
  • April: The firm’ greatly expanded its financial services litigation capabilities with the addition of an experienced team, led by Eric Troutman, to the Orange County office. The team focuses on Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action defense, having handled more than 600 TCPA cases.
  • May: Throughout the year, young lawyers from both sides of the pond have been taking part in the Womble Bond Dickinson Transatlantic Lawyers Network . This professional development program gave attorneys the chance to spend time with their transatlantic counterparts in order to foster collaboration. For example, in September, the group spent a week in London, Bristol and Newcastle, where they met with local entrepreneurs, discussed transatlantic trade with government officials, worked on client service skills, and engaged with local charities.
  • May: UK attorneys Sebastian Briggs and Chris Towner and Joe Tirone and Belton Zeigler from the US represented the firm at the Third Annual US Offshore Wind Conference & Exhibition, the largest annual event in the US offshore wind industry.
  • June: Womble Bond Dickinson’s Impact Business Group was named the inaugural winner of the Grunin Prize for social entrepreneurship. The prize recognizes the firm’s development, with Ron Boehm of BOMA Investments, Andy Lower of ADAP and John Berger of Relevée, of a new investment product called “Performance Aligned Stock.”
  • June: For the third time in four years , Womble Bond Dickinson has been honored for integrating women into top leadership positions within the firm by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF).
  • September: Ted Claypoole and Taylor Ey published the Guide to Regulation of Biometric Technology for Business and Government.
  • September. Joe Tirone (US) and Chris Towner both spoke on offshore wind energy at the 2018 Maryland State of the Ports event.
  • October. A transatlantic Womble Bond Dickinson team visited Greenville and Atlanta as part of an international trade delegation on a tour of the Southeastern US’s thriving automotive industry.
  • October: The firm took part in the Global Parliament of Mayors Annual Summit in Bristol.
  • October: Womble Bond Dickinson is taking part in the 400th anniversary commemoration of the Mayflower’s historic voyage from Plymouth to Massachusetts.