The Brief:
Wotton Kearney has appointed Iain McGuire as its first Chief Technology and AI Officer.
The newly created role accelerates the firm’s digital transformation and supports its growing WK Advisory practice.
Wotton Kearney has appointed Iain McGuire as its first Chief Technology and AI Officer, a newly created role that puts technology and legal advisory under one roof.
McGuire joins from Cognizant, the Nasdaq-listed global technology services firm, where he was Managing Partner and Vice President across Asia Pacific. Before that, he held senior roles at Deloitte and PwC, advising enterprise and government clients on large-scale technology transformation, AI, cyber security and governance risk.
He’ll lead the firm's technology, AI and transformation teams, while also working with clients through WK Advisory, the firm’s recently launched non-legal advisory arm.
It's not the firm’s first move in this space.
In May 2024, Wotton Kearney became the first Australian law firm to adopt Cicero, the first fully generative AI tool built specifically for the Australian legal industry.
Chief Executive Partner David Kearney said the hire reflects where the firm is heading.
“Iain's appointment also strengthens our ability to bring together legal, advisory and technology capability, delivering more integrated, end-to-end solutions for our clients. This is a natural next step following the launch of WK Advisory and reinforces our commitment to investing in platforms to support both our people and clients in an increasingly complex digital environment.”
The move comes as law firms race to formalise their AI leadership, with HSF Kramer appointing its first Global Chief AI Officer late last year.
Source: Wotton + Kearney