Cognia Law strengthens global advisory board with the appointment of Matthew Layton ex Global Managing Partner, Clifford Chance

Cognia, a leading legal services provider, is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Layton to their global advisory board. With his extensive experience in the legal sector and his commitment to sector innovation, Matthew’s appointment brings a wealth of expertise and insight that will enhance Cognia’s “Decade Two” strategy.

Janet Taylor-Hall, CEO at Cognia said, “Our “Decade Two” strategy will build on the success of our first 10 years and accelerate transformation across the legal ecosystem by promoting value-based client services and technical innovation in delivery”. Both Matthew and Janet have been leading figures in the evolution of the legal sector working with Boards and GCs to shape the way they engage with and utilise legal services and to transform the way legal functions partner with their businesses.

“In developing our strategy, we have been listening to leaders in the legal sector and are recognising a number of consistent themes and trends that have emerged. These include ongoing uncertainty globally, rapid advances in AI and large language models, increasing importance of ethics in decision making and managing reputational risk related to ESG. These trends are elevating the critical role of the GC and require new thinking and an operational response.”

“We are witnessing an ever-increasing demand for our services, supporting GCs as they develop and implement road maps that evolve and digitise their legal functions, enabling the in-house legal team to be connected and responsive to the businesses they are part of,” said Janet Taylor-Hall. “Our clients choose Cognia because they trust our ability to assemble diverse and talented teams that consistently deliver results. Matthew’s invaluable insights will enhance the experience we provide to our clients and contribute significantly to Cognia’s continued growth.”

Matthew joins Jeroen Plink on Cognia’s advisory board, reinforcing the company’s commitment to integrating the legal and technical capabilities and expertise of its team with tech-enabled solutions. Jereon, based in New York, is the co-founder of Legaltech Hub, a comprehensive directory of global legal technology tools, and formerly CEO of Practical Law US.

Jeroen Plink commenting on his role at Cognia, stated, “It is a great pleasure working with the team at Cognia who recognise that the legal industry as a whole is at a pivotal moment in its development and are reinforcing their objective to support the sector as it transforms to meet clients’ challenges and needs of the next decade.”

Matthew Layton, commenting on his new role at Cognia, stated, “Throughout my career, I have worked closely with General Counsels to help them achieve their strategic priorities. I am delighted to join Cognia and have the opportunity to work with their clients in the financial services and other sectors as they navigate economic, geopolitical, social, and environmental challenges through a period of transformation in the legal sector itself.”

Matthew’s appointment at Cognia represents a valuable addition to his comprehensive board-level portfolio, which he has built since his retirement as Managing Partner at Clifford Chance. His advisory positions with FTI Consulting and Robin AI have further solidified his reputation as a trusted advisor and industry leader.