The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/938151
54 PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF ILTA | WINTER 2017 Do Redwelds rule your firm? With savvy clients and digital natives taking the reins, the movement from paper-based records management to digital information governance should be top of mind for all law firms. In this interview, Gillian Power, CIO of Lathrop Gage LLP, and Jed Bronstein, information governance consultant for InOutsource, sit down with us to discuss challenges, benefits and the need for a good pair of running shoes. Lathrop Gage has transformed its records management department into a digital-based information governance (IG) initiative. What advice would you give to firms looking to do the same? Gillian Power: Get ready. You're embarking on a long- distance marathon. You will scrape your knees and get blisters. You've got to grit your teeth; get the right people, processes and technology in place; have stamina; and make it work. The reward is first-rate. We'll take blisters over paper cuts any day. You have to get out of task-based work. You will never escape that mindset as long as you live with paper. Old-school records management is akin to a file table on a hard disk drive, with people serving as the read head. They tell you where the box or file is. But we have machines that have been doing this for 50 years. Why spend dollars to have a manual disk drive? Jed Bronstein: Yes, you have to move toward more critical thinking. Instead of puing an expandable file in a box, you're shiing to logical ways to categorize information and how it will affect retention and reporting three to seven years down the road. Gillian: Prepare yourself for that shi in thinking. Don't underestimate the investment you'll need to make for staff development. Jed: Change doesn't happen overnight. You have to have buy-in from stakeholders and internal champions in the firm. Without that support, it's hard to make this work. Blisters vs. Paper Cuts: Advice from a CIO and an Information Governance Expert ASK THE EXPERT Blisters vs. Paper Cuts: Advice from a CIO and an Information Governance Expert