Is It Time To Ban The Term 'Legal Innovation'?

Innovation is a term that has been heavily used by lawyers and law firms. It is pervasive in pitches and proposals, hailed as a differentiator when speaking to clients, and used as a hook to attract and retain talent. It is even in the titles of many leaders in the industry, including a couple of the authors of this piece. Isn't it time we banned this word from our industry?

Why?

The legal industry seems to have fallen into the trap of focusing on innovation for the sake of innovation. Instead, we should be focused on creative ways to drive value for our clients.

What the term 'innovation' is not (although what it seems to mean to some in our industry):

• Issuing press releases on technology tools that don't necessarily drive real value for clients;