Page 92 - NYLJ Professional Excellence 2021

INNOVATION AWARDS

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe anonymous. We saw broad adoption of vir-
tual white boards and other design think-
ing technology by groups across our firm.
RESPONSES PREPARED BY WENDY CURTIS,
We face the wonderful problem of so
CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER AT THE FIRM.
many new ideas. To manage this wonderful
problem, we created on-demand automat-
Q&A What are some of the firm’s maximizing their impact within the firm ed project plans and ROI metrics—to make
available to everyone the tools to evaluate
and with our clients.
most satisfying successes
of the past year and why? Innovation and test ideas and determine if there is
is doing things better, often by meeting What, if any, boundaries stood in the market need for the innovation.Because of
previously hidden or underserved cus- way of the firm’s innovative accomplish- COVID-19, we can all imagine a future that
tomer needs. The Observatory, Privacy ment, and how were they surmounted? was inconceivable 12 months ago. We’re
in a Box, Joinder and our ESG offerings all COVID-19 certainly changed everything working together, colleagues and clients, to
meet previously underserved customer and initially had us concerned about seize on this once in a generation moment
needs. At Orrick, we strive to innovate for our ability to remain connected. But and maintain the momentum that’s driv-
the benefit of our internal and external instead, COVID-19 accelerated innovation ing wonderful change in our profession.
customers. To build these solutions, we and increased our creativity in ways we
provided our colleagues with best in class couldn’t have imagined. Despite the dif- What is the best advice for younger
technology to enable remote work and ficulty we all face, in many ways we’re attorneys looking to advance their own
focus on the complex work that brought more connected, more creative and more innovative ideas or visions? Embrace
them to Orrick. We also created new invested in our culture of inclusion and and seek out new roles and expertise
roles that bring greater diversity to our transformation. We’re more attuned to our emerging in the legal industry. Our front
teams and offer new career paths. For colleagues and clients as whole people. seat to the legal tech transformation has
our clients, we spend an extraordinary As we work together to solve challenges, shown us the invaluable impact of diverse
amount of time listening to what they’re we see pets, family members, gardens teams. Today’s teams now include entre-
facing to unearth new or unmet needs. We and personal photos. This makes us all preneurs, developers, legal operations
understand our value isn’t just in reduc- more human, inspires creative thoughts professionals, engineers, data scientists,
ing risk but contributing to competitive and often gives needed moments of lev- six sigma experts, change management
advantage. The Observatory, Privacy ity. All of this fosters creativity, trust and trainers, and many others. Embrace the
in Box, Joinder and our ESG offerings risk taking—the pillars of change. We all different perspectives and expertise.
are all legal solutions that both address certainly have Zoom fatigue, but tech- Learn new concepts, such as go-to-mar-
legal requirements but also enhance our nology enabled remote work enhanced ket strategy, functional fixedness, KPIs,
clients’ customers’ experience. Lawyers rather than obstructed design thinking. system interoperability, ROI, technology
are often criticized for a lack of creativ- During remote design thinking sessions, stacks and entirely different concepts
ity and resistance to change but in fact we realized that the remote format meant of value. You’ll learn that problems that
they are incredible problem solvers. We ideation portion is all anonymous. We saw seem insolvable become entirely solvable
work hard to harness those skills and increased engagement in the generation of when you share them with those with
bring our colleagues’ ideas to life, while new and creative ideas because they were different perspectives.

90 October 2021 | Photos: Orrick; Jason Doiy/ALM