NewLaw pioneer to lead KPMG Law's legal operations transformation services arm

Jason McQuillen will operate from the firm's Sydney office as a partner

NewLaw pioneer to lead KPMG Law's legal operations transformation services arm
Jason McQuillen

KPMG Law has appointed NewLaw pioneer Jason McQuillen to lead the firm’s recently launched legal operations transformation services (LOTS) arm.

“Jason is an industry leader, with real credentials in legal transformation across a wide range of organisations that few others have, and which compliment KPMG’s already strong global team. We see significant growth in demand for LOTS, particularly in the Asia-Pacific, and Jason’s stewardship of this business will both support our clients and contribute to that business growth,” said Stuart Fuller, KPMG’s global legal services head.

McQuillen joins the KPMG Australia partnership, and will operate from the firm’s office in Sydney. He relocates from London, where he spent the past 12 years.

He has particular expertise in commercial contracts, and has worked with leading firms and in-house teams in the UK and Australia throughout his career. During his time in the UK, McQuillen was a founding partner and co-lead of an international consulting firm’s NewLaw group. A specialist in legal services innovation and transformation, he also cofounded a managed legal services firm.

With his experience, McQuillen’s appointment is expected to boost the firm’s core advisory  team as the firm continues to launch legal tools and solutions in Australia in the coming years, KPMG Law head Kate Marshall said.

“Jason McQuillen is a pioneer in the NewLaw space and his appointment comes off the back of KPMG’s official global launch of the legal operations transformation services function in October 2020,” she said. “LOTS has already delivered 20+ global projects and more than US$200m in savings to in-house legal teams through target operating model re-design, implementation of legal technology and managed legal services.”

Rapid digitisation has driven growth in the LOTS offering, and its transformation and technology capabilities are set to provide value to GCs and in-house teams, KPMG Law said.

“Clients want a ‘joined up’ business and legal approach and global solutions, and that is what our LOTS team provides,” Fuller said.

McQuillen said that he was drawn to KPMG Law’s way of combining “capabilities and experience from across teams and disciplines to actually solve the client’s problem.”

“For example, by bringing together best practice in supplier management with best practice in commercial contracting, and drawing on our legal technology alliances, we can help clients get the most value out of their contracts across their full lifecycle,” he said.