The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/116777
smart moves A Data Management Project Forges a New Career Path by Cristina Libro of Henry Davis York Data management is a fact of life for the 21st century law firm. Legal technology professionals are uniquely positioned as the interface between legal work and technology. They know what technologies can be leveraged to support legal service delivery in such a way that the technology becomes just as important as the legal service that it supports. Data that are managed with all relevant stakeholders' needs in mind have the ability to add to the quality, efficiency and value provided by a firm's legal services. My firm's foray into data management became the catalyst for the development of a successful project and matter management framework that continues to be applied in our firm to this day, and my experience with the project opened a door to a new career path. Lots of Data, Not a Lot of Time In 2009, we were faced with one of the largest ever receiverships of child care centers in Australia's legal history. More than 700 child care centers across the country were to be transferred to new operators. The project presented many challenges and issues that needed to be considered. The client wanted to realize any assets it was managing to satisfy creditors. The purchaser wanted to be kept 30 Peer to Peer abreast of changes and to be able to relay information relevant to their own stakeholder (their finance company). Our firm needed the data managed in a way that had each lawyer working as efficiently as possible, making sure all deadlines were being met. We had a toolbox of applications, a pliable workflow technology platform, a competent document management system (DMS) and a solid foundation of knowledge management principles. The legal team needed a solution that would manage their data in a time-sensitive way while managing the review of documents, so they could give feedback on deal-breaking information to our client. We had two options: • Option One: Import all documents into our DMS, provide instructions to the review team, and start working. • Option Two: Take a holistic data management approach by looking at the data provided in tandem with the matter's objectives. Our approach is detailed in-depth in the diagram "Our Data Management Strategy." The partner responsible for the matter elected to utilize option two because of assurances that we were more likely to meet the very tight deadlines of the project by following this approach.