The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/67910
THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF LEGAL IT LEADERSHIP The "Techie" Leader of the Past Ten to 15 years ago, law firm management's expectations for successful IT leadership encompassed more "techie-type" qualities, such as: • Keep the computers running (more specifically, keep those Windows ME PCs from crashing so often) • Upgrade stuff, but not so much stuff that you upset everyone (like you did when moving to Word from WordPerfect) • Protect the firm's computers (keep away those virus plagues and that Y2K phantom) • Tell us how technology can help (occasionally come out of the server room to show us a new gadget — like when you demonstrated a BlackBerry) This list is certainly not exhaustive, but it lets us reminisce about the old days when IT leadership requirements were a small fraction of what they have become today. The Business Partner of the Present Successful law firm IT leaders anticipate, adapt and overcome requirement changes quickly and efficiently. It is the anticipation of those changing expectations that can be the make-or-break moments of an IT leader's career. Law firm management has grown to expect much more of IT leadership as they've recognized the importance of technology within the organization and to the firm's service delivery. IT leaders are expected to balance the requirements of the past and these new standards, which have been developing over the past decade: • Understand the law firm business, including the matter lifecycle of each practice group, accounting/finance and marketing • Ensure the IT department has talent and retains that talent • Demonstrate measurable contributions to the bottom line • Contribute to the bottom line with both cost-saving solutions and productivity gains • Measure and make continual improvements to computer performance and functionality • Know what is going on within the legal and technology industries • Come up with great ideas on how to add value to the legal services provided to clients • Provide comprehensive cost-benefit analyses; the cost of technology-related solutions is too high for the net benefits to be guessed or assumed • Maximize technology with available features or find a way to reduce costs by eliminating features that aren't needed or used; implementing solutions with more features than needed may become outdated (e.g., Do firms use 15 fields in the DMS profile? Are all the bells and whistles of a CRM really needed?) Again, this isn't an exhaustive list, but rather a high-level view of some of the expectations that have come about in the past decade. You can see the IT leadership role morphing into a business partner position — a big change from the "techie" job of a decade ago. The IT leader must still fully understand and work with technology, and must know about and work with the business as well. Demonstrate measurable contributions to the bottom line. The Adapt and Adopt Leaders of the Future Law firm executive management will continue to recognize the growing impact and importance of technology for the success of the law firm. In the near future, new generations of lawyers will become seated members on the firm's management committee/ board. This new generation will have never known a day in their lives without the Internet, email, texting or having a choice in technologies that help them maximize their individual practice. This total reliance on technology, which integrates into daily life, will solidify the need for executive-level technology professionals to help the firm adapt and adopt as quickly as possible. So … what is on the radar for law firm IT leaders? By 2020, the successful law firm IT leaders may: • Hold a seat at management committee/board meetings (as an ex-officio member) Peer to Peer 75