is organization peter e. lesser kraft kennedy & lesser [email protected] (212) 692-5617 lawnet 2001
TRANSCRIPT
Agenda
• IS and your Law Firm– Roles– Responsibilites
• Organization– Staff– Projects vs. Support– Local and Remote Staff
• Quality– World Class Support– Motivate and Retain your Staff
What is a Law Firm?
An organization whose
key mission is to
collect, synthesize and deliver
information.
What is Information?
Phone CallsVoice MailFaxesWord Processing (Document Management)E-MailCalendarsTask ListsLibraryDiscovery DocumentsDepositionsDocketing InformationRecordsClient Development InformationConflicts InformationPersonnel Information……
Law Firm IS - ‘80s/‘90s
FINANCIALAPPLICATIONS
•Time & Billing
•Financial Account
•Conflict Checking
•Payroll/Personnel
EXTERNALAPPLICATIONS
•Lexis/Nexis
•Westlaw
OFFICEAPPLICATIONS
•Word Processing
•Time Entry
•Electronic Mail
Wide Area Network
Client’s Perceptions
• Commoditization and Oversupply of Attorneys and Law Firms
• Change in the Standing and Stature of an Attorney
• Looking for a Strategic Business Partner
• Looking for least cost producer
Current Trends
• Clients are demanding more effective communications and improved productivity. Law firms respond with greater use of technology.
• Attorneys are more mobile and spend more time in front of both clients and prospective clients. They employ technology more and more each day to enhance their responsiveness.
• Law firms forge stronger bonds with their clients through the use of advanced technology.
• Firm management requires fully integrated client, financial, human resource, marketing, recruiting and budgeting information. Firm are implementing systems to simplify the process to retrieve this information, analyze it and act upon it.
• The Internet and other rapidly changing technologies are making it both difficult and expensive to continue to maintain technological sophistication.
“New” Technology Focus
• Technology Implementation is Strategic
• Technology Affects the Practice of Law
• Technology Affects Client Relationships
CENTRALIZEDAPPLICATIONS
•Client Accounting by - Client - Matter - Practice Group - Industry Group•Financial Accounting by - Firm - Practice Group - Industry Group - Practice Office - Billing Attorney - Timekeeper•Costing•Budgeting•Conflict Checking•Expertise Database•Work Product Database•Payroll/Personnel•Unified Messaging•Electronic Forms•Document Management•Records Management•Library Services•Marketing Databases•Collaboration Services - Video Conferencing - Case Management - Discussion Databases - Electronic “Whiteboards”
EXTERNALAPPLICATIONS
Access to:•Lexis/Nexis•Westlaw•Internet•Government Agencies•Federal Courts•State Courts•Local Courts•Fidelity•Dow Jones•Dun & Bradstreet•Our Clients for - Electronic Mail - FAXing from the desktop - Collaborative Work Product - Collaborative Case Management - Video Conferencing - Discussion Databases - Shared Databases - Electronic Billing
Remote Access to Firm Systems:•Support the mobile attorney for - Retrieving Electronic Mail - Retrieving Calendar and Docket - Case Management - Collaborative Computing - Video Conferencing - Work Product Inquiry and Check Out - Inquiring into Financial and Client Accounting Systems as well as firmwide databases such as Marketing, Expertise, etc.....•Access to the Firm’s Home Page
PRACTICE OFFICEAPPLICATIONS
Attorney/Secretary/Paralegal•Document Creation•Document Maintenance•Time Entry/Edit•Case Management•Litigation Management•Personal Calendar•Docket•Unified Messaging•Access to: - Personal Statistics - Client Statistics
Administrative Staff•Management Statistics•Management Reporting•Bill Preparation•Cash Receipts•Accounts Payable•Disbursement Entry/Edit
IntranetLaw Firm IS – 2000 and Beyond
What are our Information Systems?
• Computer Systems• Telephone Systems• Communications• Library• Records• Conflicts• Litigation Support• Reproduction (Copy Center)
Consolidated Information Systems
• Practice Specific Applications • Client Extranets • Unified Messaging• Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)• Knowledge Management• Portals• Intranets
IS Responsibilities
• Understand the Business of Law
• Understand Your Firm
• Strategic and Tactical Planning
• Technology Projects
• 7x24 User Support
• Education
IS Organization
• IS Management– Relationship with Firm Management– Strategic and Tactical Planning– Staff Management
• Practice/Administrative Focus– Relationship with Each and Every Practice Area– Litigation Support– Case & Matter Management– Time & Billing– …
• Technical Focus– Network Support– PC Support– Communications– …
• User Focus– User Support– Education– …
Projects vs. Support
• Projects– Project Management – Lead Technical – Education Coordinator– User Representative
• Support– Proactive vs. Reactive– Follow Up
Local and Remote Staff
• Responsibilities– IT– Other?
• Recruiting– Defining the Job– Salary– Interviewing
• Management– Direct Management– Performance Reviews– Raises– Part of Local Office IS?– Part of the Firm IS?
Support
• Understand your Clients– The Firm– The Firm’s Clients
• Be Proactive
• Follow Up
Retaining your Staff
• Defining the Job– Roles & Responsibilities– Career Advancement
• Retaining your Staff– Build a Team– Train Them– Respect Them– Reward Them
“Computers will never replace lawyers. But lawyers with
computers will replace lawyers without them.”