The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/96072
lessons learned Recommind-based tool with Lexis Shepard's signals and "Get and Print" integration. As compared to relying solely on the document management system, this latter resource proved to be far more efficient and beneficial to my practice, as it quickly provided me a snapshot of whether the authority cited in the work product remained valid. After all, it's the gray areas of the law that keep things interesting! Regardless of the search mechanics involved, once sample work product is found, it is imperative that the attorney use her legal skills and training to discern whether the sample is appropriate for her matter. Using ever-improving technologies and knowledge management principles, sample work product can be efficiently surfaced for attorneys. But, having efficient access to sample work product does not take the judgment and discretion aspect out of practice — and really, who would want that? After all, it's the gray areas of the law that keep things interesting! 3. The Legal Team Is Broader Than Attorneys With the caveat that my vantage point is a bit skewed toward litigation, if I were asked to recommend three departments to get to know early on in your career — before you actually need to call them in the heat of a matter — they would be: • Litigation Support/E-Discovery: To the extent that your firm has an internal litigation support and/or e-discovery team, consider yourself lucky. These professionals are invaluable team members in litigation, administrative proceedings and any other instances where the storage, preservation, processing and/or production of electronically stored information (ESI) is at issue. Try to learn how they support case teams before you're in a stressful situation so you can plan better for ESI-related concerns that could arise in your matters. • Information Technology: When something crashes or is inadvertently closed (yes, it happens), knowing whom to call is imperative. Also, getting a quick course from your helpdesk 108 Peer to Peer or other IT professionals on how to check for work product in backup folders can be a valuable use of nonbillable time. The more you know how to work within your firm's technology environment, the better. This is not to say that you have to know how to rebuild your desktop or why a program might have crashed, but knowing quickly where to look for backedup work product is empowering (at least it has been for me), and it can circumvent the need for you to spend time on the phone with helpdesk professionals. • Accounting/Finance: The exact name of this department at your firm might vary. What I am referring to here is the department that is the central nervous system for the recording of billable time and tracking of client billing and payments. Depending on the size of your firm, it might be two separate departments, or the responsibilities might be divided within one department. Whatever the name(s), it is worth nonbillable time to become acquainted with your firm's internal structure and resources. When practicing law, I found professionals in this department to be incredibly helpful in providing me with information when, for example, a shareholder requested ready access to certain financial data related to a matter, or when I was tasked with quickly turning around a budget for a new case or counseling matter. 4. Time Entry Is a Client Communication Practicing law has forever changed my perspective of time. One of the hardest hurdles when starting my legal career as an associate was thinking of my life in six-minute increments. Before transitioning to practicing full time, I never considered a halfhour walk with my dog to be half an hour of potential revenuegenerating, billable time. But all of a sudden, I was trying to ensure I had appropriately accounted for every minute of my work day and that I was creating time entries that were sufficiently detailed, but not so detailed that they went on for pages. To add a layer of complexity, within the first few weeks of joining a firm, a senior associate mentioned that my time entries might in fact be the first communication I was going to have with a client. I was taken aback by this concept: The first "communication?" Wasn't I merely recording my time related to that particular case, and did it really matter whether I was overly detailed? In short, it does matter. Striking the right balance between wordiness and accuracy in a time entry is a honed skill, which is much appreciated by shareholders reviewing time entries and much strived for by new associates. While a new associate's legal mentor might have some time to discuss how to write time entries, often legal secretaries or professionals within the firm's accounting department are charged with reviewing time entries before they ever cross a shareholder's desk. Moreover, professionals in a firm's accounting department can expeditiously identify time entries