Buddle Findlay is the only New Zealand law firm to be chosen to participate in the Centre for Legal Innovation (CLI) at The College of Law’s inaugural Innovation Incubator program.
CLI is a legal industry focussed think tank for Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific. CLI’s remit is to provide thought leadership, practical research and opportunities for collaboration to support legal professionals as they navigate the disruption and new technologies transforming the industry.
Joel Pearce, Business and Systems Improvement Manager, and Olwin Kleve, National Marketing Director of Buddle Findlay will lead the firm’s project in the creating a collaborative culture stream.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to conceive, develop and launch a project designed to create a collaborative culture in our firm. We will have the online support of a specialist coach over twelve months to work with two of our senior management team members. Buddle Findlay’s project will build on work the firm is already doing to encourage collaborative working relationships within teams and with clients, external lawyers, intermediaries and suppliers” said Jennifer Caldwell, Buddle Findlay’s National Chair.
Terri Mottershead, Executive Director, CLI, said “The standard of the applications was very high – it is amazing and inspiring to see so many firms/organisations invested in doing things differently in and for the legal industry. We have 16 outstanding projects in our incubator from all around Australia and New Zealand. I can’t wait to see how these will evolve under the guidance of our specialist coaches over the next 12 months”.
Law firms, legal departments, ALSPs and community legal centres from across Australasia have been selected for each of four streams:
- Leading and managing a multidisciplinary workforce
- Creating a collaborative culture
- Redefining value
- Championing change.
The creating a collaborative culture stream focuses on “breaking down the silos across departments, geographies and how we level the playing field when we can’t all be in the same room; improving communication; stopping turf wars; redefining networks, partnering and client integration through e.g. new project experimentation and tech development.”
“We are excited to work with specialist coach Nyk Loates, Director, KPMG Innovate Australia,” said Joel Pearce. Nyk Loates specialises in designing collaboration in the physical and virtual world.
