Law firm Mills & Reeve has appointed Iain Murdoch as head of legal AI as part of its ambitious 2030 growth strategy.
Having joined the firm in 2022 as a construction lawyer, Murdoch takes on the newly created role to help drive service delivery and efficiencies through the use of legal AI.
Murdoch has more than 25 years’ experience in the legal profession, specialising in construction and engineering. He also has significant wider expertise, focusing on areas such as applied artificial intelligence and legal know-how.
He joined Mills & Reeve from LegalTech startup ThoughtRiver, where he was head of legal content.
“AI and technology is a real passion of mine and something that has been interwoven throughout my legal career,” he said.
“My role will enable us to explore more deeply some of the AI challenges that are coming down the track. What does that mean for law, the business of doing law and what does the future law firm look like? Our job is to future-proof the firm for 2030 and I’m really excited to be part of that journey.
“As a firm, we have deep roots in local tech communities across our seven national offices, and this move will only help us to strengthen those connections.”
Murdoch will be based in the firm’s Birmingham office, but will have a nationwide remit on legal AI, including Manchester, Leeds, London, Cambridge, Norwich and Oxford.
Doug Twining, CTO at Mills & Reeve, said: “Iain’s appointment as Head of Legal AI is a significant step forward for the firm and signals our intent when it comes to driving success through technology.
“This forms a central part of our firm-wide 2030 strategy and Iain’s expertise and passion will help us to deliver tangible benefits for our clients, our people and the business through the adoption of industry-leading technology.”