Peer to Peer Magazine

53 WWW.ILTANET.ORG EXTRAS Time, Talk and Tech: Observed Differences Between Firms and Legal Depts » Firms: In a firm, it is the responsibility of the lawyers and paralegals to keep track of and record time and expenses spent on client work in order to convert that time into revenue. There is a great deal of pressure to bill more hours and be a rainmaker (a person who brings clients and money to the firm and advances up the partner track). » Corporate: In a corporate legal department, the company generates revenue, not the lawyers. Therefore, lawyers and paralegals are not required to stringently track their time. Their clients are in-house, and they are not asked to be rainmakers. The lawyers' main goals are to save the company money and protect the company. » Firms: In a firm environment, lawyers' and paralegals' conversations and interactions are mostly with other billable colleagues and clients. There are only so many hours in a day and in a year, so it could be frowned upon to spend time doing non-billable activities. » Corporate: Meanwhile, in a corporate law department, everyone is encouraged to aend social gatherings, coffee chats and company-wide events. One such event at my company — named Breakfast, Business and Bull — is regularly aended by legal department staff and alternates between our two Atlanta locations. It allows for personal and business chit-chat in a casual seing, fostering relationships within the legal department and the company. » Firms: In a firm, lawyers and paralegals are continuously being trained on the latest, most efficient technology that allows for skills to be maintained and developed. » Corporate: A legal department within a corporation is just one of many departments, and the technology that works best for the corporation might not be the most adequate for a legal environment. In other words, IT support is not necessarily tailor-made for legal's needs. This can sometimes impair the communication flow between IT and legal. Having worked in law firms and a corporate legal department, the three differences that come to mind relate to time, talk and technology. Time, Talk and Tech: Observed Differences Between Firms and Legal Depts Differences, with Many Similarities In my many years of supporting legal professionals in these two different environments, essential tenets of excellence ring true in both areas, the cornerstones of which entail a healthy balance of individual and collective support. To excel in either environment, a professional must be mindful that time is money, that fostering relationships requires communicating with colleagues, and that keeping abreast of learning development opportunities to beer oneself is essential. P2P by Paige B. Medina of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. TIME TALK TECH

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