Innovation in law firms isn’t a “tools” problem, it’s an execution problem. Two innovation leaders share what actually creates momentum in the first 90 days, and what you need in place to make innovation stick for five years.
In this episode, Zena Applebaum talks with two innovation leaders who come at the job from very different angles:
- Wendy Curtis, Chief Innovation Officer, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP (15+ years building the function)
- John Koss, Head of Innovation, AI, E-Data Consulting, Mintz (just past year one after a litigation career)
They get into what actually matters early on, what takes years, and why most innovation efforts stall after the first wave of excitement.
What you’ll take away:
- What to do in the first 90 days to earn trust and momentum
- What has to be true to make innovation stick for five years
- Why tool fatigue is real, and how to stop adding noise
- The rule before you buy anything: assign who owns change
- How to measure success by the problem you set out to solve
- Why “process pros” often unlock AI value faster than “tech pros”
- A surprising shift: law departments adopting AI across the business
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Key moments:
- 02:03 – The First 90 Days vs. the First Few Years
- 05:03 – What the Data Says: COO Priorities for 2026
- 09:42 – Where Innovation Should Live in a Firm
- 16:31 – Measuring What Matters: Beyond Hours Saved
- 28:10 – Innovation Fatigue & the Behavioral Science of Change
- AI
- Innovation
- Legal operations
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