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 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 19 geared toward innovative legal technol- ogy product exploration and commer- cialization. The incumbent's dilemma, however, is that it also can't sit by and wait until the industry or market is large enough to be interesting. The risk for late entrants to new markets is that they find it difficult to both replicate the capa- bilities that the disruptors have already formed (and in dialogue with clients) and quickly enough to capture remain- ing market share. This partnering or "spinoff " incuba- tor model within firms allows incum- bents to maintain status quo and capital- ize on their hard-won position but also have ready access to the tools and busi- ness models that have been thoroughly tested and ready for prime time. Teaching intrapreneurship With law schools feeding the ranks of new lawyers, there is additional discus- sion regarding the teaching of entrepre- neurial thinking to develop intrapre- neurs within our firms. In law schools, the current format of a professor speaking at the front of a class lends itself very well to substan- tive law subjects. But an entrepreneurial mindset can't be taught in this academic way. As business schools have realized, entrepreneurship and learning to think differently are more "experiential" in nature. They need alternative methods of teaching and learning. Michigan State University's law school has developed a curriculum that embraces hands-on training in addition to the tradi- tional formats. The "LegalRnD" curricu- lum, run by the inspirational Dan Linna, includes a course on "Entrepreneurial Lawyering" to help students adopt a more startup mindset — particularly if they're contemplating launching their own prac- tice. Canadian law schools are experi- menting with additional courses for this type of learning. And Ryerson's law school proposal looks promising by developing real-life scenarios and other experiential learning formats in design thinking, legal project management and legal analytics that will fill the gap of purely academic courses in substantive law. All of the legal entrepreneurs I spoke with admitted that they could not imag- ine building their successful legal prod- uct while practising law. Innovation and entrepreneurship are full-time jobs. Persistence, patience and laser focus are essential to see an idea through to execution. Startups need to find a happy acceptance in the messy ambigu- ity of software design and development. Entrepreneurs need to be hyper-curious and to adapt quickly in response to what works and what doesn't. And these skills can't be taught from a book. Partnering with innovators and technologists means firms can continue focusing on doing what they do best for their clients, but they can also test the waters of the future and be ready to adapt and pivot into the disruption that is coming. Kate Simpson is national director of knowledge management at Bennett Jones LLP and is responsible for developing the firm's KM strategy and initiatives. Opin- ions expressed are her own. BROUGHT TO YOU BY Canada's leading in-house counsel discuss their top priorities and challenges for 2018 TUNE IN http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse/videos/ VIEW 2018 Untitled-2 1 2017-12-14 10:57 AM

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