Hogan Lovells has announced the promotion of Stephen Allen to the new post of head of innovation and digital. Allen, who was named by The Financial Times as European ‘Legal Entrepreneur of the Year’ in September, assumes the role having headed up Hogan Lovells’ legal operations team since 2016.

He will work closely with Washington D.C-based partner Mark Brennan, who was made lead innovation partner at the firm earlier this year.

Allen said he would be working closely with Brennan to "ensure that the firm is constantly evaluating how we deliver differentiated services to our clients and will facilitate adoption of technologies that support our colleagues’ and clients’ needs".

LIBOR tool

Allen is credited by the firm for developing its Engage: LIBOR product, which was devised in collaboration with FTI Consulting and Cognia Law and uses artificial intelligence to help clients prepare for the phasing out of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) in 2021.

Allen is also co-founder of the Bionic Lawyer Project, a cross-profession initiative that aims to address critical issues affecting the legal profession, including the challenges associated with ensuring AI-powered decision making is ethical.

Do Tank

The project is described as a ‘do tank’ by Allen and co-founder Rob Booth, general counsel and company secretary at the Crown Estate.

At Hogan Lovells, Allen manages a team of more than 100 staff across the firm’s legal project management, data analyst, alternative delivery solutions, and review attorney and paralegal teams.

He joined Hogan Lovells after spells at DLA Piper, where he was head of global legal service delivery and quality, and PwC, where he was head of global legal services transformation.