Page 8 - Partnership

S8 | MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 | Partnership
| NYLJ.COM
Cultivating
‘Must Have’ Innovation
BY ED ESTRADA
AND CINDY SCHMITT MINNITI
The legal industry continues to change at a lightning pace. Being a good lawyer is just the ticket of entry. To stand out in a crowded marketplace, lawyers—partners in particular—must be willing to think outside the box and make innovation a part of their everyday practice. Today’s law rm partners need to think about innovation and how it can strengthen attorney-client engagement and collaboration, improve operational ef cien- cies, streamline the delivery of services to clients, and support and encourage informa- tion sharing. In short, innovation is a “must have,” not a “nice to have,” and certainly not a passing fad.
Partners can make innovation a powerful tool in their business development toolkit. This article shares insights and tips for creat-
ED ESTRADA is chair of the nancial industry group at Reed Smith in New York. CINDY SCHMITT MINNITI is the o ce managing partner of the rm’s New York o ce.
ing a law rm environment that fosters inno- vation and bringing that innovation into your client relationships.
Creating Space to Succeed
The classic design of the law rm of ce (think stuffed couches and wood panels) is not ideal for innovation or collaboration. But the “startup” style open of ce layout is not as conducive to the con dential communication or high-focus individual work that often char- acterizes work as a lawyer. At Reed Smith’s New York of ce—its largest in the United States—the rm has redesigned its spaces to strike a balance between individual and collaborative workspace.
One example is the “Innovation Hub,” a dedicated space for the rm’s attorneys and clients to meet and generate new ideas. The room is decidedly low-tech, with one wall dedicated as a whiteboard and enough space and comfortable seating for people to stay, relax, and talk. The rm’s aim is to give its attorneys and clients access to expertise, con- nections, and ideas which will help them to anticipate and solve new challenges and to
Partners up and down the
line should consider how workspace, collaboration, and client partnership all contrib- ute to making that “must have” innovation possible.
support them in managing their increasingly complex and fast-moving business environ- ment. For example, a client who is challenged with a speci c problem could bring their team into the Hub for a focused working session meet with some of our own sector experts and other potential collaborators from our external innovation community to brainstorm new approaches or solutions to their current business challenges.
Taking client feedback and interest in a particular area of its practice, attorneys in our IP, Innovation, and Information Group have already held a two day “hackathon” in the Innovation Hub. Attorneys worked hand-in-hand with technologists within the
rm to build a prototype interactive mobile tool and demonstrate the feasibility of their app idea. What could have taken weeks or months over email and iterative design meet- ings happened in just two days because the team had the chance for “blue sky thinking” in the Innovation Hub.
Collaboration Is Key
The idea that innovation is something that emerges from a single person’s “eureka” moment is simply not rooted in reality. Inno- vation really happens when different people have a chance to share their ideas and per- spectives, challenge one another’s assump- tions, and build something that neither could have accomplished alone. Communications tools at law rms need to go beyond email and instant messages—our communications cannot be transactional. In this constantly- changing environment, attorneys need to be in sync with their client’s business needs, the emerging legal issues, and the facts on the ground.
Reed Smith’s New York of ce design and technology emphasizes that » Page S10
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