Summer is here and the time is right for . . . Legal Innovation as a Service for law departments only.
I’ve wrapped up my grading for my classes at University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law for the semester.
I’m planning to largely take the summer off and concentrate only on my Legal Innovation as a Service (for law departments only) service. More info on that at https://www.denniskennedy.com/legal-innovation-as-a-service/. If you know anyone who might be a prospect for that service or be willing to do a target customer interview with me as I refine the service, I’d be grateful if you would let me know or mention it to them. And, obviously, if you might want to be a customer for the service, let’s follow-up and discuss.
I’m excited about LIaaS as an example of a productized service, but, more so, because I believe it fills a vital need that I see and hear about all too frequently.
Here’s an overview:
“Innovation Wellness Packages” for law departments only
Law department innovation leaders too often find themselves in a lonely place. They have challenging objectives, too little direction, unreasonably high expectations to produce winners, and few, if any, places to turn for cost-effective, targeted help. “Do more with less” is a far too common message. It’s far too easy to start to feel the onset of the imposter syndrome and feel like you are alone.
Email to learn more and start the process.
The need for guidance can happen when you are starting your role, when your annual objectives seem to be at risk, and when you feel like you have moved into survival mode and the whole program is at risk.
Let’s face it, formally requesting a six-figure consulting engagement (with budget approvals and, likely, an RFP process) will not seem like your best strategy, especially when you know the result will be a project given to junior consultants to learn on and result in a recommendation that you engage the consulting firm to do, no surprise here, a seven-figure engagement.
Legal Innovation as a Service(TM) (“LIaaS”) is a new and different approach to provide motivated innovation leaders and decisionmakers in law departments with Just-in-time, Just-enough(TM) guidance at key inflection points in managing their innovation programs and portfolios by addressing four of the most common and important areas of concern.
LIaaS provides a pre-scoped, limited, flat fee service offerings to help you get desired feedback or guidance, move your effort forward, and let you get back to doing what you do best, without wasting time and money.
You select the option you need and we (that means you and Dennis, not junior consultants learning on the job) work together on that project, and you get quickly back on the road to success and achieving your vision.
LIaaS is a high-uniqueness, high-value package designed to be purchased by PCard (priced at $9,500) or as a single-source supplier engagement to help you with your procurement process and RFP requirements.
Unlike a large consulting engagement, LIaaS is designed to be a simple engagement, not a complex one that takes months and has many moving parts. The length of time from when you submitted necessary information to receiving final deliverables will be two weeks, or less.
How would you and your organization benefit from LIaaS?
You get a second pair of eyes on key aspects of your innovation program and portfolio backed by Dennis Kennedy’s unparalleled expertise, experience, industry knowledge, and legal innovation network. Dennis literally wrote the book on successful innovation outcomes in law, spent 12 years as in-house counsel for Mastercard, including with Mastercard’s Digital Payments and Labs group, is the Director of the Michigan State University Center for Law, Technology & Innovation, and has been widely-known for writing and speaking on legal innovation for many years.
LIaaS focuses only on law departments because Dennis can understand and address the unique needs of innovation leaders in this sector and provide high value in doing so. So many people believe that law firm innovation approaches apply equally in law departments. Nothing could be less true.
Do you consider yourself early adopter? LIaaS directly enables a new and different approach to helping you achieve your annual objectives. It will also leverage a new focused approach when you are having the feeling that your current approach isn’t quite the one you want. The result: you increase the probability of achieving your vision.
THE FOUR LIAAS INNOVATION WELLNESS OFFERINGS ($9,500 per offering)
1. Reality Check. Review current or proposed portfolio, assess whether what you are doing makes sense in the real world, and recommend any course corrections to avoid wasting time and money. I especially suggest this for innovation leaders starting a new role.
2. Portfolio Optimization. Reviewing innovation efforts and investments as a portfolio, assessing risk, return, and balance, and revising budget allocations. Assess your company’s innovation risk tolerance and match it to your innovation portfolio to optimize fit and chances of success.
3. Idea Therapy. Analyze and counsel you on your ideas to bring out the best results and paths forward to improve your odds of investing in winners and weeding out losers.
4. Police Your Panel Firms. Evaluate innovation proposals from outside firms competing in panel convergence process OR review promises made by outside firms during panel selection and compare to outcomes achieved.
COMPARING APPROACHES
LIaaS ($9,500) | Large Consulting Firm ($$$,$$$) | |
Delivered by | Dennis Kennedy | Probably rookie consultants learning on the job |
Fees | Flat fee (no surprises) | Hourly rates (probably uncapped) |
Scope creep | No (pre-scoped) | Highly likely |
Experience and expertise | Dennis Kennedy’s unique expertise, experience, insights, and network | Unknown and might not be the person proposed |
Angling for additional work | LIaaS is a stand-alone productized service | All but guaranteed |
Results | Tailored for you from Dennis’s unique insights, with 2-week SLA | Probably cookie-cutter for initial engagement with a recommendation that you buy more expensive services |
Deliverables | Simple and direct tailored report with bullet-point internal communication strategy | Lots and lots of PowerPoint slides and Excel spreadsheets |
Buying process | PCard or single-source supplier; simple pre-scoped agreement | Complex RFP process with complex negotiations for engagement |
Importance of engagement | Dennis is able focus on you as a preferred client | Considered a small engagement that could be used to train inexperienced consultants |
Taking credit | Dennis stays in background, requires no credit, and lets you be the hero of the story | Must be the “smartest person in the room” and will let everyone know it |
Your objectives | Focused on helping you achieve your annual objectives | Focused on achieving their annual objectives |
Help you earn your bonus | Yes | Probably not – your bonus went into their fee |
The LIaaS Process
- Sign LIaaS Agreement
- Answer simple questionnaire
- Initial Zoom requirement
- Provide requested information to Dennis
- Upon receipt of all requested information, two-week delivery SLA begins
- Deliverables (recommendations and bullet-point internal communication plan) provided to you
- Follow-up Zoom conversation and wrap up.
While LIaaS makes great sense for law departments with innovation teams or chief innovation officers already in place, it has an even greater value in the mid-sized market where innovation efforts are just beginning, do not have a formal structure, or are in the process of change or re-evaluation, especially when a deputy general counsel or director of legal operations is suddenly and unexpectedly pushed into the role of running the department’s innovation efforts with little direction, little background, little budget, and high expectations.
My commitment to you: provide astute and discreet advice with practical and elegant outcomes from a behind-the-scenes guide with high standards.
You don’t have to do your job alone without a little help. Just-in-time and just-enough.
Frequently Asked Questions.
1. Are these the only services you offer? No. These are the service packages I’m currently offering through the LIaaS product and they are for law departments only. The idea of LIaaS to target the key inflection points with just-in-time, just-enough guidance to help law department innovation leaders where and when they need it most. For other consulting services, contact me and we will discuss your needs, project scope and value, and flat fee pricing.
2. What if I want to add to or change the scope of one of LIaaS offerings? That will become a custom service and will be handled as described in question 1 above.
3. Do you offer speaking or workshops as part of LIaaS? No. My speaking services are set out at https://www.denniskennedy.com/dkspeaking.
4. How do I learn more or engage you for LIaaS? Email me at dmk@denniskennedy.com to schedule a Zoom meeting or call (best way) or call me at 734-926-5197 and leave a voice message. I will return your call ASAP.
I am an expert specializing in helping motivated law department innovation leaders assess, recalibrate, and course-correct their efforts so that they unlock successful innovation outcomes, achieve their objectives, and reduce the waste of time and money.
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (https://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
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