Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/13683
FINDING THE RIGHT LEGAL PROCESS MANAGEMENT TOOLS IN-HOUSE OR IN THE CLOUD For example, a large multinational company with a sophisticated IT infrastructure, global operations, complex processes and multiple ERP solutions already in use, is an excellent candidate for in-house legal technology. But for Brad Berkshire, Director of Litigation Technology at LeClairRyan, legal hold management and case management software hosted in the cloud presented a number of enticing benefits. “Our firm is not of a size where we have the luxury of an onsite data center and a lot of in-house IT personnel,” Berkshire said. “If I have the opportunity to partner with someone who’s made a significant investment in programming and architecture, it’s a no-brainer to me to let our folks do what they’re best at — providing legal solutions, rather than focusing on maintaining technology.” A final, but extremely important, step is to perform a thorough cost-benefit analysis. At a certain point in many organizations’ evolution, it becomes more financially viable, and beneficial, to have an in-house or enterprise solution. Take a look at long- term projects for your IT infrastructure, realistic litigation loads and business growth before making a final decision. ENSURE SYSTEM CONSISTENCY AND COMPATIBILITY Three main factors to weigh when evaluating any legal application are workflow management capabilities, technological compatibility with pre-existing applications and infrastructure, and integration options. “Project management has become an indispensible tool,” said Girouard. “For us, a solution to automate process, force compliance, ease documentation, provide consistent communication channels, simplify vendor information management and capture critical metrics was a major department requirement.” Indeed, good project management is critical to every step of automating the e-discovery process, whether you choose a SaaS solution or an enterprise solution, or create your own solution. Haynes and Boone implemented a “best-of-breed” type workflow management solution to manage their legal governance, risk and compliance processes. Beyond tracking information, there’s a need for centralization of departmental documentation. It makes sense to build in workflow management. It’s important to look for “best-of-breed” solutions that will work with your existing technology investments. This emphasizes the importance of integration capabilities and compatibility. Transcripts, discovery documents, pleadings and trial exhibits are a few of the document types often requiring separate applications to effectively review, analyze or present the content. You may be able to combine assets or find a solution that will work with your existing technology investments to cut costs. The firm needs to ensure consistency — make sure the process is correct, defensible and that it can be repeated, so there are no questions down the road. ACHIEVE INTEGRATION Consider your current business environment and IT infrastructure and ensure that whatever new solutions you bring on board — from www.iltanet.org Case/Matter Management 21