Innovation

Innovation

Smith Anderson’s Innovation department leverages the firm’s collective knowledge and the latest technology to implement new ideas that drive value for our clients and for our firm. Our team focuses on creating process improvement protocols that increase efficiency and promote information sharing across various departments within the firm, and ultimately, with our clients. 

We prioritize collaboration and believe that working with people who hold diverse experiences and perspectives will inspire innovation. Innovation’s core areas of focus include:

Knowledge Management

Providing efficient access to our collective knowledge and experience...

Knowledge Management (KM) is a project and data management initiative that benefits our clients through proprietary systems and processes to enable efficient access to our experience, best practices and model documents. This KM initiative supports the delivery of exceptional legal services to our clients.

Cost Analysis

We recognize the value of predictability for managing transaction costs, so we provide clients with directional budgets based on collected data from similar past transactions. Paired with real-time communication about accruing fees and project status, this allows close monitoring and a clear view for project management.

Legal fees for complex transactions are notoriously difficult to predict and depend on each project’s particular circumstances. Our Innovation team leverages our collective resources to develop directional budgets based on real experience from similar past projects.

Our timekeeping practices enable real-time fee monitoring and reporting, enabling clients to anticipate and plan for legal costs.

Business and Artificial Intelligence

We continually evaluate how we deliver legal services and proactively seek opportunities to enhance the value we provide to clients. We believe meaningful innovation often begins with a thoughtful question or a new perspective — whether raised by a client, a lawyer, or a member of our professional staff. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, we remain agile and responsive to evolving client needs.

As part of this commitment, we are strategically assessing the role of artificial intelligence and business intelligence tools in our practice. Guided by our Management Committee and a cross-functional AI Task Force, we focus on smart adoption, integrating technology only where it demonstrably enhances efficiency, deepens insight, or improves outcomes while maintaining client confidentiality. Our plans for implementing AI solutions align with our high standards and client-centered approach.