Executive Search Firm News - Legal Technology

In-house firms slow to keep up with legal technology

Many in-house legal departments are mired in late-20th century technology that could affect a corporation’s bottom line, a recent study warns legal executives.

“Law departments are mostly in a holding pattern, rather than employing the latest technology to streamline operations and cut costs,” advises the Corporate Counsel’s first technology survey of 79 companies.

According to the study, most law departments have the basics covered, but financial constraints and communication problems with upper management keep many in the technological dark ages.

In order to function effectively as a component of a profitable corporation, in-house legal department must make use of industry-specific software, traditional technological tools like e-mail and word processing documents, and keep it organized.

“Low-tech law departments aren’t going to start losing cases because they don’t have the latest and greatest technology. However, in the end, they will toil inefficiently. They’ll miss out on cost-saving tools, like invoicing software that keeps detailed statistics on just how they’re spending money,” says Ashby Jones of Corporate Counsel.

Legal executives are cautioned of several key areas in need of an upgrade:

• Only 37 percent of respondents using electronic invoicing for billing
• Less than one-third use extranets to communicate with outside counsel
• Only 40 percent have electronic systems for storing and cataloging work
• One-third used outside electronic discovery vendors in the last 2 years for document production in large litigations or to help implement document retention policies

“It’s just not a paper world anymore,” says Curt Canfield, a consultant for Huron Consulting Group. “Companies that don’t get up to speed with technology are going to struggle. It’s that simple.”

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