Adam Curphey, innovation engagement manager, Reed Smith. Courtesy photo.

Last week, after the departure of Reed Smith's first innovation engagement manager Alex Smith to iManage's RAVN, the law firm announced it hired Adam Curphey to manage the firm's Innovation Hub.

Reed Smith's Innovation Hub was launched in 2016 with meeting spaces in its London and New York office in an effort to support the implementation of innovative internal and client-facing legal services. By 2018, the firm created GravityStack, a separate subsidiary that licences Reed Smith's tech products and provides legal tech consulting to law firms and in-house clients.

Before joining Reed Smith, Curphey previously spent three years as a solicitor at White & Case's London office, while more recently, he was the head of innovation technology at BPP University Law School

During a conversation with Legaltech News, Curphey discussed his leap from molding law students' legal education to improving efficiency and legal services in Big Law. His answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Can you describe your experience as head of development at BPP University Law School?

Adam Curphey: During my time in this role, I have been responsible for identifying and delivering innovations in the delivery of legal education. This involves liaising with innovation departments at law firms and general counsel, engaging in thought leadership, and working internally with project management, IT, digital and architecture teams to implement new technological solutions.

Do you think more law schools should provide law students with hands-on legal tech courses?

I think it is essential to consider not only legal technology but legal innovation as a whole. Arguably the mindset and skills are even more important than the technology used. Without being able to engage with clients and understand their business, and without being able to properly listen to those clients, then any solution chosen is going to be the wrong one. Use of legal technology is increasingly becoming the norm and law schools need to reflect this.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge going from leading technology innovation at a law school to managing innovation at a law firm?

Having been in practice myself, I know one of the biggest problems with innovation in a law firm is for the lawyers to find the time and mental capacity to consider new ways of doing things. It is important to allow people time without overwhelming them or reducing the current service to clients.

Why did you decide to join Reed Smith?

I have had the opportunity to see firsthand how Reed Smith is engaging with innovation. This is a disruptive time in law, and I think that when the dust settles, those that have engaged with clients and have been quietly working away on building solutions will be those who emerge victorious.

What skills or experiences will you bring from BPP and White & Case to Reed Smith?

It is often said that one of the most important skills for those building solutions is empathy. While that applies to solutions being produced for law firm clients, it applies equally to internal solutions. I can still remember what it's like to work as a solicitor and hope to be able to bring that empathy into solutions. In addition, innovators are often described as translators between various bodies. I have been fortunate enough to be introduced to the lexicons of law, technology, project management, systems design and education, and being able to talk to specialists within all those fields and help them understand each other is something I am looking forward to.

What are your goals as innovation engagement manager?

To encourage people to think differently. I think the aim of this job is to create a culture in which you are almost unnecessary because people are already considering new ways to do things. I also want to help build out some of the fantastic projects Reed Smith have been working on, and to engage further internally and externally to help deliver improvements.

What do clients want from their counsel, and how can technology help?

I think clients just want to be heard and understood. Obviously money is always a factor, and technology can help find efficiencies in giving advice, but I think that many clients want a pseudo-consultant with their firms as an open and collaborative trusted adviser. Technology can help here, too, with communication and transparency, but what can't be forgotten is that every client will want something slightly different. There is no substitute for sitting down with a client and taking the time to understand their business.