Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m M A Y 2 0 1 5 3 Minivation." That's what Bill Pentney, who runs Canada's largest law firm, calls the first and most important step to innovation. Pentney is the deputy attorney general and deputy minister of justice of Canada. He essentially runs a multi-service law department of about 4,800 staff including 2,800 lawyers who work in practically every area of the law and in almost all levels of court. Speaking at last month's Canadian Corporate Counsel Association annual spring meeting in Toronto, the affable Pentney gave a lively and engaging presentation on what the Department of Justice is doing to innovate — a perfect fit with the ques- tion we've posed on our cover: What's next? and with the essays from the great legal leaders who have contributed to this issue. Pentney notes his department's job is to "defend the decisions" of prior governments, this government, and of future governments — all of which "go to the core of our society." But it's not just a solid history but a "strong, adaptive justice system" that he sees as con- tinuing to make Canada great as well as competitive on the global stage. "What made us great in the past won't make us great in the future." The same old way of doing things wasn't going to cut it in a world of budget cuts and other pressures, but likely on a much grander scale, that every law firm and law department are feeling. So what's a deputy AG to do to change the perspective of such a massive team toward change when the day to day of what they do — serving the government, getting sued, etc. — isn't changing. Much like others in this industry, the DOJ started doing some benchmarking, project management, creating centres of expertise, building in-house document review systems, etc. There are lots of big-pic- ture plans but they're looking to also mine front-line staff 's knowledge and experience. "We are also going to turn to our staff to unleash innovation," he said. And that means everyone including librarians, paralegals, lawyers, and anyone else who wants to get involved. The unleashing led to more than 1,200 initial ideas for the Justice 2020 initiative, which got whittled down, and then whittled down further through a Dragon's Den- type affair with Pentney and a few other senior staff open to being "sold" on the best ones. "We got remarkable ideas," he noted, many of which were small and simple. But those minivations, which might only require a small investment, can sometimes pro- vide big returns. And those small changes are what help "build a new set of muscles" that will power the department toward the future. The Department of Justice is a big ship. It won't turn on a dime. But Pentney is determined to make innovation part of the department's DNA. And it starts, he said, by making sure front-line managers are able to enable and support that change by making/training them to be comfortable thinking and working outside their comfort zones. Not every law firm or every department has the resources of the Department of Justice but if such a large and immovable object as the DOJ realizes it has to change to meet the future head-on, then any firm or department can do it. Pentney admitted they've had some "massive failures" and he anticipates more. But that's what happens when you start doing and not just talking about change, he said. Don't sweat the small things, focus on starting to change them and let those minivations be the gateway drug to bigger inno- vation in your organizations. The time is now. Director/Group Publisher: Karen Lorimer karen.lorimer@thomsonreuters.com Editor in Chief: Gail J. Cohen gail.cohen@thomsonreuters.com Staff Writer: Shannon Kari shannon.kari@thomsonreuters.com Copy Editor: James Kang Art Director: Bill Hunter Production Co-ordinator: Catherine Giles catherine.giles@thomsonreuters.com Contributors: Jean Sorensen, donalee Moulton, Pascal Elie, Geoff Ellwand, Marg. Bruineman, Jennifer Brown, Jim Middlemiss, Janet Guttsman Canadian Lawyer is published 11 times a year by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted without written permission. The opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the publisher. 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M1T 3V4 Tel: (416) 298-5141 Fax: (416) 649-7870 E-mail: cl.editor@thomsonreuters.com Web: www.canadianlawyermag.com Linkedin: linkd.in/179bx8t Twitter: @canlawmag Publications Mail Agreement #40766500 ISSN 0703-2129 Copyright © 2015 HST Registration #R121349799 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESS TO: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy RD., Toronto, ON. M1T 3V4 RETOURNER TOUTE CORRESPONDANCE NE POUVANT ÊTRE LIVRÉE AU CANADA AU SERVICE DES PUBLICATIONS One Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Rd., Toronto, ON. M1T 3V4 Circulation/Address Changes/ Subscriptions Keith Fulford Tel: (416) 649-9585 Fax: (416) 649-7870 E-mail: keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com Subscription rates: Canada1 year print and digital $99 plus HST, 1 year digital only $99. Outside Canada 1 year print & digital $99 USD, 1 year digital only $99. For all circulation inquiries and address changes send a copy of your mailing label or labels along with your request in writing to Canadian Lawyer, One Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Rd., Toronto, ON. M1T 3V4 Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index E D I T O R ' S D E S K @canlawmag gail.cohen@thomsonreuters.com 'Minivations': start small By Gail J. Cohen

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