In a major hire for Slaughter and May, the magic circle law firm has appointed Clifford Chance’s respected director of legal technology solutions, Anthony Vigneron, as head of innovation.
Vigneron (pictured below) will join Slaughter and May in February 2026, and we’re told that he will spearhead the firm’s AI and legal tech strategy, partnering with lawyers, clients and business services teams to develop and deliver new technologies and processes.
At Clifford Chance, Vigneron has worked with the senior leadership team to deploy AI at scale: he helped the magic circle to become the first to roll out Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Viva globally, after a multi-prong approach from IT, risk and senior management. Last year, he was featured by Microsoft in a customer success story, where he was quoted saying that AI isn’t about just speeding up tasks, but reimagining how the legal profession is going to be working.
Vigneron also previously led efforts on Clifford Chance’s Transaction Toolkit, creating a templated set of technologies for matter delivery that incorporates document collaboration, review/comparison and assembly, and project management. He is notoriously good at keeping his finger on the pulse of new technologies and managing vendor relationships.
Slaughter and May’s former head of innovation, Jane Stewart, left that role in October 2024 and is now chief of staff to CEO. The innovation role sits outside of IT, which will be a departure from his previous role for Vigneron.
While Slaughter and May has historically been conservative in talking publicly about new technology, many years ago (led by Stewart) it launched a tech incubator called Collaborate and the firms was also one of the first investors in legal AI platform Luminance, which it continues to use and back. More recently, Definely announced that Slaughter and May has adopted its tool for AI proofreading and drafting. The firm also uses Copilot and has been hiring for an engineer to manage Copilot, Copilot Studio, Azure AI Foundry and other AI tools and applications.
Commenting on the hire, David Johnson, Slaughter and May’s managing partner (pictured above), said: “Innovation at Slaughter and May is about delivering exceptional outcomes for clients while building a future‑ready firm. Anthony’s track record in shaping and scaling the adoption of legal technology and AI will help us move with pace and purpose, supporting clients on their most critical matters and fostering a culture of innovation and responsible AI adoption across the firm, aligned with our strategy and values. He will be a welcome addition to the firm.”
Michelle Holford, chief commercial officer at the firm (pictured above), added: “We have been deliberate in laying the foundations for innovation to thrive across the firm, and Anthony’s appointment comes at the perfect moment as we accelerate into the next phase of our innovation strategy. My focus is on building a delivery‑driven team culture that encourages experimentation and rapid learning, while deepening client relationships to position the firm as a leader in legal innovation.”
The post Exclusive: Slaughter and May hires Anthony Vigneron as head of innovation appeared first on Legal IT Insider.