Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/718659
PS: Have you noticed a shift in how law firms approach innovation? JF: In order to really thrive inside a business, innova- tion requires an enterprise-wide openness towards trying new approaches in hopes of generating better outcomes. I think it's fair to say that doesn't describe your typical law firm, and it helps explain why most firms have struggled to develop a culture of innova- tion. So I think there's a growing recognition that we need a fresh approach. The firms that are having the most success with innovation these days are approaching it not from the perspective of the law firm, but of its clients. They're not so concerned with changing their practices and processes merely for the sake of greater efficiency. They're focused on asking: "How can we deliver better value to this client? What could we do differently to generate a better result, on the clients' terms?" When you look at innovation through your customers' eyes, your approach and attitude both change for the better. LB: The legal profession is decades behind other pro- fessions and industries on even basic innovations like project management. And law firms tend to develop Sponsored by fixations on certain types of innovation. For years, knowl- edge management was all you heard about: checklists, prec- edents, KM software, and so on. And there's nothing wrong with KM; for us, it's valuable and essential to our process improvements. But you need a professional, multi-faceted approach to innovation if it's going to really work. I agree that the client is important to making headway on innovation. Lawyers won't change how they work just because the firm will benefit. But when you make the client the center and the cause of the effort, lawyers react differently. Lawyers are focused on solu- tions, so they're open to tools that can improve outcomes. That's why we developed a cross-discipline approach to innovation throughout our entire firm: not just KM and project management, but also pricing, process improvement, data analytics, and legal tech- nology. Through our clients, innovation engages our whole firm. PS: If a law firm or law department wants to give innovation a fresh start, or a first chance, where and how should it begin? Especially given there often isn't much money set aside for that purpose. JF: There have actually been a few large American law firms that have created research and development functions Paul Saunders, Stewart McKelvey's Practice Innovation Partner, interviews Jordan Furlong, Principal, Law21, and Lydia Bugden, CEO and Managing Partner, Stewart McKelvey. What Innovation In The Law Really Means