CMS London has today moved into its new HQ at Cannon Place. The working space, designed around clients, is defined by sectors, with practice based teams working in an open-plan environment. Combined with the use of the most powerful, innovative technology available, it will have a profound impact upon the way the firm engages and delivers services to its clients today and in the future.
Duncan Weston, CMS’ Managing Partner, comments:
“I wanted to change the traditional law firm model to overlay sectors across practice groups which means that our practice groups are integrated through those business lines which are the clients’ businesses. The collaboration among our lawyers will increase dramatically when they work together in the same space.
“The environment lends itself to being extremely mobile. By embracing a truly hi-tech mobile working culture, we can advise our clients instantly literally anywhere in the world they happen to be. It will change the whole experience that clients have with their lawyers which is very exciting.”
CMS worked with Microsoft to devise a system of working that is ground-breaking for the legal sector. Microsoft Lync is the centrepiece for unified communication in Cannon Place and provides voice and video calls, web meetings and instant messaging, facilitating communication internally and externally. All fee-earners, meanwhile, have been issued with the latest Surface Pro 3, a 24” screen and a wireless headset. This flexible technology means fee-earners can move about the floor, share screens and move into a meeting room while still connected to their technology.
Dale Perrigo, Director at Surface UK, said:
“Microsoft is proud to partner with CMS and we believe their innovative approach to embracing technology is unique to the industry and has played an integral role in transforming their business.
The Surface Pro 3 combines the best of a laptop with the mobility of a tablet and is the perfect device for busy law professionals. By embracing the Surface Pro 3, CMS’ staff are now able to work on the go using the Surface either as a laptop, or tablet or using the pen to annotate. The Surface is also helping CMS to transition to a paperless office through its ability to digitise written documents and sync and share data and documents with Microsoft apps. It’s this commitment to embracing technological advancement that has seen CMS increase productivity and will help it to continue as an industry leader.”
A dedicated ‘Client Space’, the showpiece of CMS’ entrance area, has also been created around clients’ needs. The fully connected hub allows clients to work, catch up on the latest sector and news developments via a media wall and borrow iPads, use the ‘Interactive Table’ which has a touch surface to allow visitors to find out more about the firm’s sectors, browse the internet or check the latest new.
Katrina Kostic Samen, lead architect at KKS who designed the Client Space, commented:
“CMS challenged us to create a "wow" environment for their clients and staff, showcasing the breadth of the CMS global reach while demonstrating its commitment to technology, client service, and professional delivery. A unique outcome, clients are welcomed upon arrival, comfortably ensconced in either the technology hub, business centre or meeting suite. The design is not predictable for a law firm, and neither is CMS."
