The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/230349
Vivien Guo is the Technical Support Lead for the Dentons APAC offices. She has more than 13 years of experience in the legal my co-workers. "Handballing a problem," for instance, means passing the problem to someone else. industry, spending the past two years in Asia, establishing and supporting APAC offices' IS systems. Her unique perspective comes from having an in-depth understanding of large law firm IT structure and both U.S. and Asia environments. Contact her at vivien.guo@dentons.com. Stuart Kay is the Director of Global Business Systems for Baker & McKenzie, with responsibility for all global lawyer productivity technologies. He has led some of the firm's largest global technology change projects and has spoken at several conferences on cultural and logistical challenges of managing global projects. Before moving to the U.S., he was the head of KM in Australia. Stuart has worked in the firm's Sydney, Chicago and San Francisco Ellen: Returning to Kentucky from France was a big change linguistically. The biggest linguistic hurdle, however, was the shift in industry culture — from international legal services to agribusiness marketing. Lawyers appreciate formality, elaboration and linguistic precision, while the corporate commercial world generally prefers brief, often "telegraphic," communication and is more driven by pop culture. Be prepared to make some changes in your communication style, both written and spoken, when switching industries and national borders in the same leap! Several expressions initially created confusion and are great illustrations of how international business English and more local English can vary: offices. Contact him at stuart.kay@bakermckenzie.com. • "Not a problem" means "you're welcome" Ellen Mitchell recently returned to her native Kentucky after 14 years of vibrant professional experience in Paris, France. An experienced project coordinator, commercial translator • "Are we good?" is short for "Have we covered all points, and is our meeting now concluded?" and copy editor, she has expertise in international publishing, international marketing and legal services. Fully bilingual • "It's all good" means "everything is fine" in French and English, she plans to pursue a masters in K-12 teaching in 2014 and return to Paris annually with her students thereafter. Contact Ellen at ellen.mitchell.ky@gmail.com. Sean Power, Chief Information Officer at Lathrop & Gage LLP, is responsible for aligning the technology direction of the firm with its strategic plan. Sean volunteers on ILTA's annual conference committee, and he received an ILTA Distinguished Peer Award in 2011 in the area of server/operations. Contact him at smpower@lathropgage.com. Philip Scorgie serves as the Global CIO at Mayer Brown LLP. Prior to taking on that role, he spent eight years with Norton Rose Australia in a variety of information technology roles. Philip Americans might find it odd and uncomfortable that nonAmericans often get much closer physically when speaking faceto-face or waiting in line, for example. While this is the case to a certain degree in Paris, there is, at the same time, a lot more elbow room interpersonally in France. There is a great deal of formality in written and spoken communication, which affords everyone deference and distance interpersonally. It is, in fact, considered very rude to presume familiarity (speak casually) to people you don't know well. Your waiter will not call you "dude" or "man," and it is a sign of respect — especially to a new boss and others whom you don't know well at work — to remain quite formal until you are invited to be more casual. Relationships are built slowly, but once they are established, they are remarkably trustworthy and solid. has been described as having the "confidence, courage and enthusiasm o drive business change." Contact him at pscorgie@mayerbrown.com. Vivien: Find a reliable source for language help (e.g., secretary, paid language phone service, a language tutor, or a translation app for emergencies.) Reach Out and Take Flight Whether you are contemplating an international relocation, preparing to help a relocating colleague or just looking to learn a bit more about the global world in which we live, reach out to colleagues who have gone before you. They offer a wealth of information and can help you feel at home — no matter where in the world you find yourself. 56 Peer to Peer