WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Womble Carlyle attorneys Jack Hicks and Sonny Haynes find innovative solutions to client challenges on a daily basis. On June 21, Hicks and Haynes brought their innovation-focused approach to attorneys and interns at Wake Forest Innovation Quarter.

The 90-minute Womble Carlyle Design Thinking Workshop engaged participants in a series of hands-on creative thinking exercises designed to expand how lawyers think when approaching client service. Hicks and Haynes shared Design Thinking methods from the Stanford Design School. Both attorneys have served on Womble Carlyle's Innovation Board and this training is part of the firm's innovation educational program.  

The session was particularly relevant to the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter audience, as they regularly are charged with protecting rapidly developing life sciences technologies. Kenneth Russell, Director of Medical Device Development for Wake Forest Innovations, gave opening comments about how Wake Forest Innovations commercializes technology.

In addition, Biomedical Engineering Professor Philip Jayson Brown and nearly 20 interns attended the workshop.

In March 2017, Womble Carlyle and Bond Dickinson joined forces for Innovation Week. Click here to learn more on this week-long series of programs.

Jack Hicks has more than 25 years of experience global businesses through all stages of the intellectual property process. He has considerable experience helping companies prepare and prosecute patents in international venues, particularly in Europe and in Asia. Hicks also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Elon University School of Law.

Sonny Haynes has a broad range of litigation experience from complaint to verdict and on appeal. She regularly defends lawsuits involving product liability, civil rights, governmental torts, and employment discrimination.

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