P2P

Fall20

Peer to Peer: ILTA's Quarterly Magazine

Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/1293067

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 32 of 54

33 I L T A N E T . O R G C ollaboration platforms in and of themselves are not new. Most firms have been using some form of collaboration with their clients for several years, whether via firm-approved extranets or unapproved sharing sites. What's changed has been the evolution in technology that has led collaboration platforms to become much more than just places to share documents; to become viable options to replace in person interactions, as current conditions dictate. And while collaboration tools have a wealth of functionality that allow attorneys to work more effectively - especially in a virtual setting – they can also open a Pandora's box of information governance issues. Fortunately, this governance nightmare doesn't have to come to pass; with the right rules and processes in place, they can be avoided. Below is some quick and simple guidance for the IG practitioner to follow when governing a collaboration platform. 1. Understand what's driving the demand The COVID-19 pandemic and its rapid effects across the globe were a sobering reminder to many industries that the ability to adapt – and adapt quickly – is critical to survival. When law firms across the globe were immediately forced to close office buildings, cease in- person client meetings, and transition attorneys and staff to a remote working environment, the need for virtual collaboration amongst matter teams and clients became paramount and increased demand for new ways to accomplish these functions. At the law firm, gone were the office drop-bys, water-cooler chats, and impromptu lunches to confer on a matter or a legal issue. Lawyers had to look for new ways to have discussions about matters tied to a document itself, and for review and editing in real time. Increasingly, clients want the ease of use and ability to share content with their law firms and to be involved in the development of their matters' content. The legal departments at clients have started to adopt the technologies available to their larger organizations such as collaboration platforms. The ability to easily invite external users to their collaboration platforms has lessened the burden on client organizations to learn new extranet technologies and to manage varying logins to their outside counsel firms. As a result, IT departments have seen a rapid demand for platforms such as Teams and Slack, and with an urgency that does not allow for the same "slow and steady" pace typically seen in previous software deployments. IG practitioners need to make sure they are involved in the deployment planning process to ensure that proper consideration and governance controls are implemented from the very beginning. There should be conversations with the firm's practitioners requesting the collaboration tools to determine what features they really need, and to ensure that proper governance controls are put in place from the beginning. 2. Provide a policy or set of instructions; require signoff Before moving forward with any collaboration platform, firms should have a well-defined policy in place that clearly sets parameters on how the platform is to be used. Fortunately, for most firms this doesn't have to be a "blank slate" approach; it may simply be that an existing policy or set of policies need to be updated to include the functionality within the collaboration platform. However, when creating or updating the policy, it's critical for the firm to address areas in which the collaboration platform may create the most risk for the firm, especially if the functionality is unique to the platform itself. For example, if the collaboration platform

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of P2P - Fall20