The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/96072
ask the expert Is Law Firm 101 just about law firm technology? Meredith: Oh, it's about so much more than just general technology. We're taught theory around different types of law in law school, but we're not taught the practical tips. And that's where Law Firm 101 comes in. Of course, there will be a lot of things covered around technology, including: • The business of a law firm, including common concepts like profitability per partner, realization rate, alternative fee arrangements and more • Time and billing practices • Tips for interacting with other departments such as litigation support, accounting and information technology • Project management in law firms • How do I collaborate with the client? • What are some drafting tools to help me? • What are some personal knowledge management tools to help me deal with email messages? • Knowledge management (KM) and legal re-engineering in law firms • What clients look for in outside counsel • The future of private practice in the legal industry • How do I save my documents? Those types of things will absolutely be included in Law Firm 101, but it will encompass so much more than just technology. Marcy: I agree with Meredith that it's about so much more. I think it is very important that ILTA is at the helm of developing this initiative and weighing in on content, because today's practice of law and delivery of legal services is so intertwined with legal technology. Joy: That's right — IT is just a small piece of it. It's more about understanding what people in law firms do … and not only the lawyers, but people in accounting and marketing and more. We need to understand why their functions are important. Of course, technology does play a role. For instance, what applications different groups use and how that fits in the overall function of each group and into the back office, particularly the business side. Joy: A very important piece of this is understanding the idea of "following the money." When people understand the basic business model of a professional services firm, they can better understand why certain things are important. When we talk about the lifecycle of a matter, for example, a lot of technology people think of that in terms of a workflow system, a time and billing system or a conflict system. But in Law Firm 101, we'll talk about the life of a matter in terms of the piece parts that go into making the matter live through its entire lifecycle at the law firm — all of those processes that help people put their job in the context of the broader mission of supporting the lawyers' work. Meredith: Everything is going to touch on some form of technology, such as how to enter time and how to use discovery tools. But some of the nontechnology topics are going to be around economics and how firms function — those pieces of practical information that everyone needs to know. _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ What kind of nontechnology content will be included in Law Firm 101? Although this initiative is beginning with a focus on law firms, how could this initiative apply to someone entering a corporate law department? Marcy: Although the curricula haven't been officially outlined, in addition to content related to law firm technology, I envision the following topics, just to name a few: Joy: There are a lot of differences, but I think the important thing is that there are a lot of similarities. Take the lifecycle of a matter, listen to the recorded interviewS ONLINE: www.iltanet.org/podcasts 88 Peer to Peer