The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/43128
BEST PRACTICES "Printing to a multifunctional device versus a local printer can save $.02 per page." EMBRACE NEW WAYS TO WORK The phrase "we've always done it that way" should be forbidden in the workplace. Policies, procedures, workflow and technology alternatives should all be open to examination, discussion and review. One recent cautionary tale at a firm in New York City exemplifies the errors in decision-making based solely on habit. The firm had been conducting hourly internal messenger runs. Upon doing a review of the contents of these runs, we found there were very few (less than one percent) time-sensitive materials being delivered. An analysis showed that by increasing the time between the runs to two and a half hours and allocating resources to deliver the time-sensitive materials, the firm could reduce the monthly cost of these runs by over 50 percent. Our contact at the firm chose not to implement this change based upon the fact that they had always had hourly runs and the cultural change would be too great. They were also concerned that reducing service levels would send the wrong message to employees. Subsequently, this firm has experienced numerous layoffs in recent years. It might be a stretch, but perhaps embracing some new ways to work could have averted some of the layoffs. 16 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer SUPPORT THE RECOVERY OF COSTS How many times do you hear that "a client won't pay for that" when you examine charging for new services, or when a large amount of internal resources have been expended for a particular client? Every two years, my company conducts a cost recovery study on what firms are charging, their pricing, what they actually recover, etc. The most recent study found that clients will pay for justified, soft-cost recoveries. Interestingly, the biggest hurdle to the recovery of soft costs is the internal write-offs by the billing attorneys or whoever reviews the invoices. We have met the enemy — and he is us. These write-offs are compounded by support staff who are charging billable work to nonbillable numbers and sending work offsite to bypass the firm's cost recovery system. If your firm is experiencing these issues, the negative impact to your bottom line can be quite significant. Common causes are usually: • Antiquated cost recovery policies • Lack of education on the role of cost recovery in your firm • Cumbersome systems