IS Organization Peter E. Lesser Kraft Kennedy & Lesser (212) LawNet 2001

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 Calls Voice Mail Faxes Word Processing (Document Management) Calendars Task Lists Library Discovery Documents Depositions Docketing Information Records Client Development Information Conflicts Information Personnel Information ……

Law Firm IS - ‘80s/‘90s FINANCIAL APPLICATIONS Time & Billing Financial Account Conflict Checking Payroll/Personnel EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS Lexis/Nexis Westlaw OFFICE APPLICATIONS 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

CENTRALIZED APPLICATIONS 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” EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS 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 OFFICE APPLICATIONS 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 Intranet Law 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.”