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HSF staff to get 10 days per year for innovation projects
Global firm Herbert Smith Freehills has introduced a new initiative whereby staff across all of its offices will be allowed up to 10 days per annum to work on “innovation projects”.
Jerome Doraisamy
The initiative, called Innovation 10, will give staff the opportunity to work on projects that “find new and innovative solutions to the challenges faced by the firm and its clients”, the firm said in a statement.
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“These projects could include activities such as building legal apps, working on document automation and artificial intelligence tools, or working on the firm’s blockchain and smart legal contracts project,” it said.
It is open to all HSF staff as the firm intends to further develop the firm’s innovation and technology strategy, and claims to better capture and recognise the time spent by employees on such projects.
Speaking about the initiative, HSF CEO Mark Rigotti said Innovation 10 would accelerate the firm’s global strategy on innovation and tech.
“We are empowering our people to increase the momentum behind projects, creating opportunities to connect with our clients, and further strengthen and differentiate the services that we offer,” he said.
Australian managing partner Andrew Pike added: “Over the past three years, we have embedded a culture of innovation across the firm to ensure that we create value and deliver the best outcomes for our clients and our people.”
“That has paid dividends, with a number of achievements such as the launch of our global legal operations team, the introduction of decision analysis tools in the UK, and our work on the Australian National Blockchain,” he said.
“Innovation 10 will allow all our people to play an active role in transforming our business. They’ll be able to collaborate, share ideas, and broaden their skillset while creating lasting benefits for our clients and the firm.”
The announcement follows similar innovation agendas being rolled out by firms with Australian presences.
In mid-January, mid-tier firm Lander & Rogers announced that innovation would be a “key focus” in 2019, with the firm investing heavily in such practice areas.
And in late December, global firm Clifford Chance announced its new Create+65 innovation hub, which it said was the firm’s attempt to enhance its offering to clients by enabling it to build creative, technologically-savvy solutions.
