Credit: chaiyapruek youprasert/Shutterstock.com Credit: chaiyapruek youprasert/Shutterstock.com

The Trend:

Large law firms are hiring professionals to their C-suites to help unify and streamline pockets of innovation into one cohesive, firmwide vision.

But whether these chief innovation officers will be able to achieve buy-in from their partnerships depends on whether and to what extent those partners have the stomach for experimentation and, yes, failure in pursuit of truly transformative ideas.

If they don't get that support, CINOs will suffer the fate of so many other business professionals toiling away at law firms where value is measured solely in terms of billable hours: they'll be misunderstood and, ultimately, marginalized.