appear to arise as a result of product innovation, as all the examples identified in this section relate to law firms also engaged in product innovation. Our findings strengthen the tentative conclusion that law firms in Wales may benefit from a less product-focused approach to innovation (i) Subscription-based services Acuity Law, as discussed above, provides a range of specialised services available on a subscription basis, including Data Assist and Litigation Funding Assist. Acuity Counsel Service offers flexible access to legal advice on a range of practice areas to support business needs at a monthly discounted blended rate, providing access legal templates via a client portal. (ii) Legal education and collaboration Blake Morgan offers a range of forums which are free to sign up to and are targeted at specific industries or roles. The forums currently available are: • Counsel+ – for in-house lawyers; • Developing Connections – aimed at the real estate industry; • FD Connect – for finance directors, CFOs and other senior finance leaders; • Investing in Success – aimed at helping business with topics such as mental wellbeing, culture and diversity; • NED Connect – for Non-Executive Directors; and • Women in Leadership – aimed at female business leaders, owners and entrepreneurs. All the forums have a mailing list and offer their respective members a number of webinars and networking opportunities as well as learning resources and legal updates. 186 Acuity Academy offers a full suite of training and tools for businesses looking to upskill their workforce, covering the areas of compliance, commercial contracts and corporate and cultural management. The courses are delivered through in-person classrooms and webinars. 187 Podcasts are increasingly becoming a popular way for law firms to engage with their clients and the wider community. The production of podcasts tends to be limited to the larger law firms, although there do not appear to be substantial technology or cost barriers, as podcast can be produced relatively inexpensively, with common technology. 188 Hugh James launched, in 2020, the podcast series “About Charities”, dedicated to developments of relevance to third sector organisations (from IR35 rules to sleep-in shifts and probate fees). In addition, 186 Blake Morgan, “Blake Morgan Forums”, available at https://www.blakemorgan.co.uk/bm-forums/. 187 Acuity Academy, “Homepage”, available at https://acuity-academy.com/> 188 Costs can vary significantly, depending on the equipment used and outsourcing options. However, it is possible to produce a professional podcast with low-cost equipment, such as a mobile phone and an external microphone, and free software (e.g. Audacity). For an overview, see Lissie Hoover, “How Much Does it Cost To Make a Podcast?” (Forbes, 22 February 2023), available at https://books.forbes.com/blog/how-much-does-cost-make-podcast/.
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