Peer to Peer Magazine

WWW.ILTANET.ORG 5 FROM THE DIRECTOR FROM THE PRESIDENT ILTA's "Legal Technology Future Horizons" report, published in 2014, has a clear message regarding process improvement: For successful firms, the leadership imperative is pursue process excellence. In an era of commoditization, intense scrutiny and rising client service expectation, process excellence is essential. This means maintaining a ruthless focus on operational quality, efficiency, transparency and cost control, with IT as a key enabler. We celebrate our sixth annual Law2020-themed issue of Peer to Peer by focusing on this important topic. With another chorus of "innovate or perish" ringing in our ears, our contributors to this publication have provided great insight from their own explorations of and successes with business process improvements. You'll find key excerpts from the Future Horizons report as well as case studies from innovative firms that have improved processes, many by using Lean Six Sigma methodologies. We have a wonderful article on improving the process of lawyering, which is largely brought about by process improvement, and innovative uses of technology and human capital. I was impressed with the array of discreet topic areas that our authors provided, and I can truly say there is something for everyone in this issue! Our popular "Ask the Expert" brings you some peer- powered thought leadership around process improvement, providing intelligent insights into the changes needed today to create a vibrant future. Enjoy, learn and improve! Randi Mayes Executive Director randi@iltanet.org Have Questions? Want to Contribute? Contact kristy@iltanet.org Where has the first half of the year gone? It's hard for me to believe the date on my calendar, but if milestones are a good measure of passing time, I can report that we've seen many. As we approach our annual conference, we see a milestone of volunteer leadership transitions. We concluded our biennial Board of Directors election process in the spring, and there are three directors whose terms conclude following ILTACON. Thanks to Janet Day, Michele Gossmeyer and Steve Skidmore for their unflagging service to the association. Each has made significant individual contributions, and I applaud their teamwork as we explored many exciting opportunities and worked through big changes. We welcome new electees Angela Dowd, Tracy Elmblad and Skip Lohmeyer to the Board. Their energy and passion for ILTA will be great assets to the team. We've spent more than a year in a transition process to a new volunteer structure. I commend our current Regional, Peer Group and Conference Vice Presidents. They've performed double-duty in carrying out the commitments of their current roles and worked in transitional roles for the new structure. In the fall issue of Peer to Peer, we'll provide information about the new structure and recognize the new teams. This issue of the magazine is themed around process improvement, most notably to drive innovative approaches to the many challenges we face as we prepare for the future. Our Law2020 focus has provided a great platform for future-oriented thinking. The Board is confident that the new volunteer structure, with its focus on premier programming, will sustain the organization's reputation for exceptional value to its members. With ILTACON 2015 right around the corner, I'm hopeful you'll avail yourselves of that extraordinary opportunity for education and networking. And watch for our milestones of success as we continue to serve your needs. I hope to see you in Las Vegas! Robert DuBois rdubois@briggs.com ILTA President

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