The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/271291
PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGA ZINE OF ILTA 44 Gone are the days when the longer it took a lawyer to complete a task, the better it was for the firm. Client demand, staffing changes and a growing desire for more work- life balance are converging to create new demand for lawyers to become more efficient with routine tasks. With help from four industry experts, we'll take a look at different approaches for increasing lawyer efficiency. WHY IS EFFICIENCY SUDDENLY DESIRABLE? Once upon a time, trainers the world over offered their expert services to help lawyers work faster and become more efficient through the use of technology. Alas, we were laughed at. The response was invariably something along the lines of "why would we want that?" or, the ever popular, "we don't have time." Trainers put their talents to work in helping staff/legal secretaries learn all they could about mission-critical software, so they could do the heavy lifting with document production and other daily tasks. And everyone lived happily ever… Wait. We're forgetting about something. That's right — the clients! Over the past five years, law firm clients created a plot twist by changing the way they select and retain their outside counsel. They rewrote the rules and now demand value from their firms above and beyond quality legal advice. According to the Georgetown Law and Thomson Reuters Peer Monitor "2014 Report on the State of the Legal Market," this value is defined as "efficiency, predictability and cost effectiveness in the delivery of legal services." Perhaps the most specific and wave- making example hit the scene in 2013 when D. Casey Flaherty of Kia Motors introduced his Legal Technology Audit, now in partnership with Suffolk University Law School. Trainers got a renewed jolt of hope that, with Flaherty's insistence that outside counsel prove their technology proficiency, their phones would begin ringing off the hook with requests for lawyer training. While it might not have completely played out that way, the Kia story provides a conversation-starter for trainers and firm leadership to begin thinking about how client service can be improved with technology competencies across all roles in the firm, lawyers included. In addition to this number one motivator (i.e., client demand), there are other trends driving efficiency. They include profitability, changing roles and generational differences. • Profitability: With most law firms now offering alternative fee arrangements, managing time and efficiency has FEATURES New Approaches To Supportin Lawyer Efficiency