The Lawyer covers our 'Russell Up' scheme, a new innovation initiative being delivered by our trainee solicitors

The Lawyer covers our new 'Russell Up' scheme, a new programme designed for our trainee solicitors under which they will deliver four innovation projects throughout their two-year training contract.

In the piece, Joe Cohen, Director of Advanced Client Solutions, explains:

In order to be a truly innovative law firm, we want to ensure that an innovative culture is created and fostered right at the beginning of a legal career. That’s where the Russell Up scheme originated from.

"The scheme is being carried out in collaboration with our HR and early careers teams, as well as our business school. The main element of the scheme will involve each trainee undertaking one innovation project in each of their four seats, in one of the following areas: document automation; data visualization; AI; design thinking; business problem discovery workshop; app-building; robotic process automation; or any other business case that doesn’t fit into these seven categories.

"It introduces our trainees to new ways of working and ensures we can build an innovation culture from the ground up. All of the options are also legal in their nature, so the trainee will be able to build subject matter expertise as a core part of the project. Once the trainees move seats or become NQs, they will ultimately take their innovation experience with them.

"This means that not only are they more likely to approach a new matter with a wider toolkit but also, over the longer term, it means most of the firm will have gone through the training scheme – and an innovative culture is therefore embedded organically over time.