publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/395170
ILTA WHITE PAPER: OCTOBER 2014 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 31 opposing a particular counsel, etc. Knowing that responses to email blasts tend to come from those who had very positive or very negative experiences (while the most accurate assessment likely fell somewhere in between), we added search capabilities to the workflow, which allowed attorneys to quickly narrow the large mass of matters to only those in front of a particular judge or opposing a particular attorney. From there, our attorneys were able to glean the types of claims alleged, arguments proffered and the ultimate resolutions for like matters without disrupting our entire client team with an email that only returns part of the story. Once we had a reasonable set of data, we applied statistical analysis to reveal trends within our portfolio and generate projections, predict the drivers of effort/expense, more accurately price future portfolio work, highlight opportunities for early resolution, and identify high-performing case teams. PLANTING AN ORCHARD Armed with reams of data, we recently took a look at the relative performances of our offices working the portfolio of matters and found that one of our small offices was very high-performing while a larger office's relative performance was more challenged. With strong support from firm management, we worked with the high-performing team to develop best practices, pored over historical performance data to reformulate strategy and restructured the team to encourage interactions the data suggested would lead to quicker case resolutions (a metric critical to both Bryan Cave and our client). Signs of improvement were evident within the first few weeks of the restructuring and have not slowed since. The proportion of matters closed in any given month has gone up around 28 percent when compared to the six-month period before the restructuring, and the time cost per matter has fallen by nearly 15 percent. As an added bonus, the team is resolving matters at a faster pace than they are arriving, freeing resources for other work. OUR APPLE TAKEAWAYS In an age when data creation and collection has been growing exponentially, the criticality of a strong process to ensure your data are captured in a meaningful manner cannot be overstated. It is essential to understanding the composition of matters your firm has worked, is currently working and is considering for the future, and ultimately is the key to advanced reporting and analysis based upon actual data rather than anecdote. EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN ONE DAY In this ninth annual conference, ILTA members deliver a full day of education and networking opportunities, collaborating with and learning from colleagues, and contributing to the conversation. REGISTER NOW REGISTER NOW