Macfarlanes hires Mayer Brown innovation head to lead legal tech

Macfarlanes has hired Adam Curphey, Mayer Brown's head of innovation in Europe, as its director of innovation, as it seeks to continue its tech and digital innovation strategy after the departure of Chris Tart-Roberts to Addleshaw Goddard last month.

He will lead Macfarlanes’ law tech team, working with lawyers and business services staff to embed innovation firm-wide, it said - with his remit to include supporting client-facing technology projects and preparing for what the firm calls "the workplace of the future".

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Before joining Mayer Brown almost four years ago, he worked as a lawyer at White & Case before moving into legal education BPP law school in 2012 (where he remains a visiting professor) and then joining Reed Smith’s legal tech unit in 2019.

Macfarlanes has been steadily expanding its innovation capabilities. It was one of the first UK firms to partner with legal AI platform Harvey (way back in September 2023), and earlier this year launched Amplify - an AI-powered tool to help in-house teams process legal documents and contractual data - in a move the firm called a market-first.

What they said

Luke Powell, managing partner at Macfarlanes, said: "Adam brings a rare combination of legal expertise, product mindset and educational leadership.

"His track record in scaling technology adoption and building the skills lawyers need to deliver modern legal services makes him an ideal fit for Macfarlanes. With Adam’s leadership, we will continue to invest in practical innovation that makes a measurable difference for our clients and our people."