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66 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 Officer. When the innovation team agrees to execute on a project, whether unbundling legal services or building out a managed legal services project, the innovation team is able to draw from the Orrick Analytics team of tech savvy attorneys, project managers, technologists, big data team, and statisticians. According to Daryl, "ideas mean little without ability to execute, and having a team ready to execute on the ideas is key." Daryl also noted that he prefers not to use the word "innovation" because it too often means window dressing that does not translate into measurable results. He prefers to think of it as "improving process and integrating new tech and skill sets in a way that improves quality and reduces cost to the client in a measurable way." The Orrick Analytics "muscle" means that when an idea germinates into a project it does not die on the vine for lack of resources. Yet another option is to have multiple "channels," with one person to help link the innovation efforts throughout the firm. Reed Smith's Innovation Engagement Manager, Adam Curphey, encourages collaboration among the Practice Innovation Team, Knowledge Management, Learning & Development, and GravityStack (legal technolo subsidiary). The firm's innovation focus is highly client- driven, which has led to the creation of Innovation Hubs in London and Chicago. Through the Client Listening Programme, the business development director meets with clients on a regular basis to gain an understanding of clients' pain points and problems so that the firm can help craft solutions. This approach leads to project referrals in one or more of the appropriate innovation channels. Client needs are what drove the creation of their Global Solutions offering, which provides a creative environment for lawyers, analysts and business services professionals to work alongside each other to find new approaches to problem solving. Reed Smith not only encourages their attorneys to generate innovative ideas, but also credits them with up to 50 billable hours per year to work on innovation initiatives. This shows a true investment by the firm to ingrain innovation into its culture. In addition, the firm has two Innovation Trainees in the UK and two summer Technolo Associates, who split their time between innovation and billable hours. Which approach will be most successful at your firm? Clearly, one size does not fit all. Daryl believes you can use a variety of models to execute as long as you gauge "whether it has a real-world, measurable impact that clients notice. Titles without impact will not long survive." Amy comes down on the side of dedicated people, but there needs to be a collaborative effort with others throughout the firm. The biggest challenge is the billable hour – firms need to consider using different incentives/credit for billable timekeepers to participate in innovation efforts. Sam believes you do not need to hire a single person to innovate. "Create a culture where creative thinking is embraced, where people of different ages, genders, races, and religions respect each other and are not afraid to challenge each other," he said. "Then everyone can be an innovator." Adam stresses time, education and communication as the primary factors that feed a successful program. "It is important to understand what the clients want, and to know what options are available. People need time to innovate, education on how to approach problems, and the communication skills to share their ideas." There is some risk in having standalone departments that push top-down innovation without listening to the people who are doing the work, or to the clients who are the ultimate beneficiaries. When discussing "innovation," it is important to understand that it does not always mean flashy technologies or hiring someone with an impressive title. "Law firm innovation is not always disruption, which gets all of the attention," said Amy. "It's easy to overlook F E A T U R E S

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