Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/30285
opportunity. Datamarting strategies whereby aggregate information is stored with identifying details obfuscated (e.g., client names) is another option. THE COMING EXTINCTION OF THE “TIME ENTRY” DINOSAURS There is a rising chorus (and an abundance of marketing literature) talking about this building wave of improved time recording. There are also several software offerings that promise capture capabilities. Although these voices indicate the inevitability of this approach, is true time-capture with us yet? Grafting new approaches or buzzwords onto legacy tools that are not fundamentally designed around the modern work environment will not succeed. To paraphrase Star Trek’s insightful engineer, Mr. Scott, attaching wheels to one’s grandmother does not make her a wagon. Instead, the legal environment is ready for a new breed of time-recording technology, a fundamental The Madness of Manual Time Entry by Norm Mullock H 18 Financial Management ILTA White Paper ave you ever walked a mile, or even a few steps, in the shoes of your lawyers? As part of a recent Legal Lean Sigma training class hosted by the LSSO, I experienced a great, exaggerated example which nicely illustrates the inefficiency of manual time recording. It began with a simple assignment: Complete a jigsaw puzzle. Then came the twist. Every few minutes, I was asked to account for my progress in a narrative on a timesheet. Periodically I had to field questions as to what I meant by a particular phrase or respond to requests to revise my wording in order to comply with