Robert Ambrogi Blog
Opus 2, the London-based collaboration platform for law firms, has a new CEO today, as founder and majority shareholder Graham Smith-Bernal becomes executive chairman focused on long-term strategy and culture, and board member Martin Coen takes over as chief executive.
Coen has been an advisor to Opus 2 since joining its board in 2019. For more than a decade, he was CEO of the FinTech firm Dovetail, until its 2017 acquisition by Fiserv, where he remained as president of enterprise payment solutions until 2018.
His appointment as CEO, the company said in a statement, “reflects a commitment at Opus 2 to maintaining excellence in customer service and innovation as the firm scales to meet increasing demand for its legal technology and services.”
Smith-Bernal founded Opus 2 in 2008 and has been its CEO ever since. He formerly founded LiveNote in 1991, developing it into one of the world’s most widely used litigation support tools, before selling it to Thomson Reuters in 2006 for $70 million.
He will transition to “a more creative, consultive role with the company, where he will remain on the board and work closely with Coen on long-term strategy and culture,” the company said in a statement.
“We are growing fast, with more than 180 full-time employees worldwide, and the legal market is increasingly global,” Smith-Bernal said. “In the midst of dramatic, technology-focused changes in the practice of law, Martin understands that it’s crucial to stay close to the communities we serve, to partner closely with our clients, and to scale in a way that ensures we continue to deliver market leading services.”
“I look forward to working with Graham and the team at Opus 2,” Coen said, “as we continue to strengthen our leadership in enabling virtual and hybrid hearings as well as our expansion into new areas to build future legal practices that are more agile, connected and learning organizations.”