Innovation in legal services remains a hot topic, yet technology adoption does not always keep up with the hype. While there is a plethora of academic and professional research about the area, there is a lack of guidance on the practicalities of helping professionals actually get innovation right.
This book focuses on implementing innovation and the innovation process in a law firm, from pilot to adoption and everything in between (whether that be within the law firm itself or undertaken by the law firm's clients). Divided into four parts to reflect the innovation lifecycle of examine, explore, develop and reflect, this book is a practical guide for those starting or doing innovation in law firms. Students keen to know how innovation is implemented in practice will also find it useful.
Innovation in Law Firms is packed with insight from the authors who lead the award-winning innovation team at Weightmans, and who have experience of starting innovation from scratch, as well as viewpoints ranging from the strategic, board-level perspective to the on-the-ground experience of actually doing innovation projects. It is practical rather than theoretical in style and aims to fill some of the adoption gap by exploring the highs and lows of innovating in law firms, and outlining practical steps that can be taken to mitigate some of the potential pitfalls. Whether at the start or part way through an innovation journey, this book allows readers to dip in and out providing guidance on specific issues as they arise as part of the innovation lifecycle.
Recenzijos
Stuart and Catriona are both highly regarded leaders in the world of legal innovation, known for their ability to not only generate groundbreaking ideas but to make them happen in the real world. They have consistently demonstrated a knack for developing the right capabilities within their teams and Weightmans, creating an environment where innovation is not just a buzzword, but a driving force evidenced by tangible success.
What sets them apart is their hands-on, battle-tested experience and consistent delivery of results. They have earned their reputations by rolling up their sleeves, leading from the front, and navigating the complex and often gritty process of driving change and implementation. Their approach is real and is streets apart from the theoretical - theyve been in the trenches, learning from challenges, overcoming obstacles, and refining their methods through real-world successes and lessons learned. The battle scars they carry are a testament to their resilience, adaptability, and ability to lead and turn innovative ideas into operational excellence.
They not only envision the future but create it. For these reasons and more this book is essential reading. -- Derek Southall This book is two things: it is a guide to how to navigate the peculiarities of law firms when trying to drive innovation; and it is a salve for those that are already chartering those waters and need a regular sanity check. Pulled together by two industry pioneers, it is a fabulously practical how to guide with a heavy dose of charm and humour. Even though Ive been at this for over 27 years Ill be going back to this book time and time again! -- Stephen Allen The insightful Stuart Whittle and Catriona Wolfenden thoroughly explore the state of innovation in Legal Services. The book starts with a compelling analogy between the evolving nature of case law and the adaptability required for innovation in the legal sector. It delves into the dynamics of law firms, highlighting the shift from a model that exclusively relied on ex-lawyers for management to a more professionalised approach. Stuart's candid reflection on figuring out innovation on the fly resonates with many who navigate this complex landscape. A fantastic read for anyone working in the Legal Services industry. -- Shawn Curran Bus travel can be quite enjoyable when you have a good read.Im thoroughly enjoying this insightful and wonderful book by Stuart Whittle and Dr Catriona Wolfenden. Ive had the pleasure to know both personally for some time now and I know how much blood, sweat and tears went into the knowledge and wisdom they share when innovating in a law firm. My favourite chapter (so far) is Chapter 6: Change management & dealing with people. Its laugh out loud funny, spot on and full of great insights that will support any organisation when implementing change, law firm or otherwise. -- Fiona Flemington "Innovation in Law Firms" by Stuart Whittle and Dr Catriona Wolfenden is a must read for anyone interested in leading change or innovation in any industry. Highly highly recommend giving this one a spin. -- Jonathan Coleman
About the authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Introduction: What has Donoghue v. Stevenson got to do with innovation? . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . xiii
Chapter 1: A faster horse or the moon on a stick? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 1
Client-led innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The business of law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 2: Getting started big picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Getting started with no money and no team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 15
The importance of a vision (and Board support) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 17
What does success look like? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
You know this might not work, right? being comfortable with the
uncomfortable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 18
Forming, storming, norming, and performing bringing together people with
curiosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 20
Listen, talk, network, and listen some more deciding what to do . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Its not just about the technology starting the hearts and minds journey .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 24
Chapter 3: Getting started proofs of concepts and methodologies . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 31
The ideation process creating a hopper of ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 31
Does it solve a problem and is it doable? Prioritizing ideas . . . . . . . .
. . 34
Running a pilot from timing and success criteria to risk approval and
everything in between . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 37
An A-Z of useful (legal and non-legal) methodologies taking what is useful
and applying a liberal dose of common sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Example pilot action plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Chapter 4: Skills, team, and bringing others with you recruiting your
pirates in the navy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 59
How it helps to be a jack of all trades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
How to encourage rebel ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Intrapreneurship finding your pirates in the navy . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . 61
Innovation is contagious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
It is not the size of the innovation team that matters, but the careful
curation of it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 65
Chapter 5: When it works lessons learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 73
Not all subject matter experts are born equal how to spot the right ones .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 73
Ensuring you have the right people, in the right room, at the right time, on
the right page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 77
How to help your subject matter expert with innovation . . . . . . . . . . .
82
How your subject matter expert should help you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 87
We have an interested client, now what? Minimum Viable Products and managing
expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Is it repeatable and scalable (and does it always matter)? . . . . . . . . .
. . . 90
Chapter 6: Change management dealing with people . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 93
The Ive promised the client an app for that lawyer . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 94
The naysayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
The keyboard warrior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
The obdurate litigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
The That should be free for my client lawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 101
The enthusiastic amateur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
The Can we have an app for that lawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 103
The technology visionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
The overcommitted lawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
The baffled-by-Excel lawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
The only interested the week before my appraisal lawyer . . . . . . . . . . .
109
The gold dust lawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Chapter 7: So, you want me to collaborate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 113
Internal collaboration working with lawyers and business services . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 113
Working with clients the moon on a stick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 121
Working with external suppliers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Working with other law firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Working with academia is there a disconnect between research and reality? .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 128
Working with funding bodies dealing with life at a different pace . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 131
Working with micro and start-up businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 132
Chapter 8: When things go wrong bouncing back from lessons learned . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 135
Solving the wrong problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Solving a symptom and not a root cause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 136
Seduced by the art of the possible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Boiling the ocean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Being swayed by the loudest voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
The wisdom of crowds or following like lemmings? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . 144
Assuming the end user knows what they want . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 145
Having a solution before you know what the problem is . . . . . . . . . . . .
146
Spending time on the urgent rather than the important . . . . . . . . . . . .
147
Failing not enough? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Chapter 9: If you build it, who will come? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . 149
From pilot to roll-out hurdles, pitfalls, and the problem of reacting to
anecdote rather than data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
150
What are you measuring what does adoption success look like? . . . 152
Innovation solutions becoming business-as-usual how do you gather momentum
and let go? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Following the crowd adoption because everyone else is using it . . . 157
Chapter 10: Barriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Professional obligations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
People and organizational barriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Chapter 11: Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Marketing teams awards and the warm PR glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . 173
IT teams products, architecture, and security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 176
Risk teams a changing risk appetite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Internal client and legal teams just do it (even if we cannot define it)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 183
Chapter 12: The next big thing looking forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 185
Has all the digital lipstick gone? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Towards a sustainable innovation model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 185
What next after the O-shaped lawyer? Upskilling future leaders . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 186
About Globe Law and Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
