Linda Novosel, chief innovation and value officer with Blank Rome. Courtesy photo

Tackling a mix of evolving issues in law firm leadership and strategy, Blank Rome has created a new C-suite position and hired a professional who trail-blazed a similar role at another large firm.

The firm has hired Linda Novosel as its first chief innovation and value officer, based in Philadelphia. Novosel comes from Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where she had been the chief client value officer.

Her role was a new one there as well, though her history at Steptoe went back several years. Novosel had been Steptoe's chief pricing and legal project management officer, but her job title changed in January of this year to better reflect how she was interacting with the firm and its clients, she said in an April interview about client value roles.

Novosel earned a J.D. at Widener University School of Law, but she has spent much of her career in business-focused roles at law firms.

In her new position, in addition to handling pricing and legal project management, she is tasked with finding new ways to serve clients, support the firm's practice groups and practice law more efficiently. She is starting with a pricing team and developing legal project management capabilities.

“In many firms it's difficult to get the delivery of services aligned with the value,” Novosel said. “The idea of marrying the innovation with value is very exciting to me. It's not just about pricing.”

And innovation is not just about technology, she also noted, though she will likely be collaborating with the firm's chief information officer, as well as the chief human resources officer and chief marketing officer and their teams.

Blank Rome chairman Alan Hoffman and Novosel said they got connected through Keith Lipman, co-founder of Prosperoware, who speaks frequently on the topic of law firm operations. He and Hoffman were on a panel together when Hoffman mentioned that his firm was looking to fill a new role, and Lipman suggested Novosel.

“We were looking to develop innovative, efficient ways of delivering services to our clients, do things that would distinguish us from the competition and bring value to our clients,” Hoffman said. “Our clients have demanded and are entitled to these kinds of innovative ways of delivering the legal service we deliver and pricing it efficiently.”

Novosel said she's not sure yet how much of her role will be client-facing. “My first mandate is to get the buy-in from the partners on the idea of innovation,” she said. But so far that has not been a challenge, she noted, and most are excited about her new role.

The legal industry has seriously lagged behind when it comes to innovation, she said. ”The accounting firms are doing quite well in this space,” having already become accustomed to offering alternative fee arrangements, she said. ”The legal industry has been the last to innovate.”

In a statement Thursday, a spokeswoman for Steptoe said the firm will be seeking a new chief client value officer, and said Novosel was a valued member of the firm.

“During the three years she was with us, we put in place improved processes for approving engagements, for constructing budgets, and for developing alternative fee arrangements. While we plan to find a successor to Linda, we have built a strong client value team that will continue to enhance our pricing initiatives,” the firm said.

Hoffman said Blank Rome is in the process of developing a new strategic plan, and the value and innovation role will be “integrally involved” in that.

“Our mantra is remain relevant to your clients. This is a continuing step in terms of remaining relevant to your clients,” he said.

Novosel agreed, noting increased sophistication in client legal departments. “Law firms have to respond,” she said, and the increased prevalence of pricing roles is only the beginning.

“It's evolving. It's going from the pricing to the value to the innovation, and it's a continuum. Once you get to innovation it's a continual, 'What can we do to improve?'”

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