How Thorntons is using design to drive legal innovation with TiPS

This is the third episode of a four-part mini-series of Beyond the Capital from SuperTech WM, in partnership with the TiPS Accelerator, a programme helping regional law and accountancy firms adopt new technology.This episode features leaders from Thorntons, a full-service Scottish law firm, who speak to host Hilary Smyth-Allen about their journey on the TiPS Accelerator. Sarah Blair, Jane McCance, and Lewis Quinn unpack how the firm used service design thinking to drive digital transformation, foster AI literacy, and unveil the real human challenges behind legal tech adoption.From co-creating solutions with colleagues to embracing “messy” innovation, they share their people-first approach to change - and how that’s shaping the firm's internal transformation programme.They discuss:Why adoption is a human, not just technical, problemHow service design and the Double Diamond framework guided discoveryBuilding AI literacy and safe experimentation across the firmCreating a firm-wide cultural shift, one post-it at a timeHow the TiPS project laid the groundwork for a firm-wide change programmeChapters:00:00 – Introduction to TiPS and Thorntons01:45 – Thorntons’ structure, services, and innovation roles04:20 – The trap of tech-first thinking and why adoption lags06:30 – Identifying human problems before implementing solutions08:00 – Shifting project scope: literacy, service design and the “AI Sandbox”10:14 – Building transformation roles from scratch12:00 – Starting with discovery and asking the right questions15:00 – What the project uncovered (and what it changed)17:17 – What is the Double Diamond? A primer on service design19:15 – From AI requests to deeper diagnostics and real solutions22:00 – Aligning innovation with strategic priorities24:25 – Wellbeing, time-saving, and what “impact” really means27:00 – Culture change and playful innovation techniques29:00 – AI roadshows, Jedi groups, and safe experimentation31:15 – Upskilling junior colleagues and early-career catalysts33:42 – Final takeaways: messiness, experimentation, and mindset Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.