National law firm Clarke Willmott, which has an office in Bristol, has appointed its first director of transformation as it seeks to place innovation at the core of its response to an increasingly competitive legal marketplace.
Clarke Willmott said Rachel Barnes, pictured, had joined with “a remit to establish a project management office, identify and run transformation initiatives and build change management”.
She will be tasked with what the firm called implementing enhanced processes to ensure continued excellence in serving clients, fostering a rewarding career experience for employees, and making positive contributions to the firm’s communities and environments.
Rachel, who becomes part of Clarke Willmott’s senior management team, will leverage her experience gained not only from the legal sector, but also in investment banking and early stage start-ups.
She has spent the past 18 months working with international law firm Reed Smith’s London office on its innovation strategy. She has also worked in similar roles with global legal firms Ashurst and Herbert Smith Freehills.
Clarke Willmott, which employs more than 650 staff, including 100-plus partners, across its seven offices, said it prided itself on efforts to innovate and build on the ways in which it supports clients and its people. Rachel’s appointment continued this journey by formalising the vision and growth for the future of the business.
Clarke Willmott CEO Peter Swinburn added: “To fulfill our firm mission, it is the right time for Clarke Willmott to be putting in place the process and governance to underpin the delivery of excellent outcomes for our clients, provide the best possible career experiences for our people and positively impact our communities and the environment around us.
“As such, we are delighted to welcome Rachel to the team in a brand new role of director of transformation.
“Rachel brings extensive experience in transformation and innovation, both within law firms and corporate and investment banking, and is a true ‘change agent’
“In this new role, which sits on the senior management team, Rachel will help us structure, develop and operationalise our strategy and support our digitisation journey.”
Rachel Barnes, said she was delighted to join a firm where a compelling growth story, diversity of the business and opportunities the firm provided really stood out for her.
“Aside from being excited to visit the offices and meet the people at Clarke Willmott, I am really looking forward to looking under the bonnet and getting a better understanding of how things work and how I can flex my skills to support the firm’s strategy from a projects and change perspective,” she added.
Clarke Willmott announced a 2% increase in annual revenues last year to £60.8m, the first time in the firm’s 135-year history they had gone above the £60m mark.
