Our latest innovation awards evidence the symbiosis of legal practice and technology.
|0 Comments
Read more: http://www.lawtechnologynews.com/id=1390914374916/2013-LTN-Awards#ixzz2rnWs6xGM
Years ago, U.K. consultant Richard Susskind predicted that technology would both change the nature of legal practice and enable it to accommodate changes caused by technological and other factors. As we continue to adjust to what increasingly appears to be a sea change in the nature of legal practice, it is clear that technology is an especially important facet of legal practice. This year's impressive number of nominations was evidence of that conclusion—as well as of some of the ways that cultural technology icons such as the iPad are important to lawyers.
In our 11th year, the LTN Innovation Awards judges again were Andrew Adkins III, CIO, Steptoe & Johnson; David Whelan, manager, legal information, The Law Society of Upper Canada; and Fredric Lederer, chancellor professor of law and director of the Center for Legal and Court Technology and the Courtroom 21 Project, William & Mary Law School.
CIO of the Year: Gavin Gray
The CIO or IT director of any organization usually sets policy for the entire organization. Our 2013 winner is Gavin Gray, the CIO of Perkins Coie. Gray has made technology an integral part of the law firm. As described by his nominator, "He is a leader, enabler, and futurist who possesses awe-inspiring business acumen. Since joining Perkins, he transformed the technology department from a cost center to a value-added business partner that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the firm's attorneys."
Under Gray's leadership, Perkins Coie has made massive, striking improvements in its technology use, so much so that his nominator reports that "many attorneys clamored to be upgraded." Gray has been instrumental in the development of significant software, been tireless in his efforts to assist lawyers and non-lawyers alike, and has clearly given his all to making technology the invaluable tool that it can be for a major law firm.
Champion of Technology: Kevin Brady
Amid the numerous nominations for Champion of Technology, one stood out: Kevin Brady, a partner at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellot, of Wilmington, Del. As his nominator described him, "Kevin is a pioneering attorney who has continuously embraced the concept of applying technological efficiencies to the practice of law."
A prolific author and speaker, Brady is always willing to share his extraordinary expertise. Within Delaware, he is the co-chair of the Delaware Supreme Court's Commission on Law and Technology and serves or has served on numerous committees, especially those dealing with electronic data discovery or evidence. Brady is a member of the Sedona Conference's Advisory Board and its Working Group on Best Practices for Electronic Document Retention and Production. He co-chairs the Georgetown University Law Center's Advisory Board for the E-Discovery Training Academy. He is the founder and president of the Richard K. Herrmann Technology Inn of Court, and a key participant in the American Inns of Court Technology University, an online resource. He has spent much of his professional career helping the nation's lawyers understand and properly use technology. He truly is a "champion."
Law Firms: 100+ Lawyers: Fish & Richardson
Only Rip Van Winkle would be surprised today by the degree to which people are addicted users of electronic tablets of all types. Judges and lawyers are using and experimenting with tablets in every conceivable fashion—in and out of the courtroom. Fish & Richardson wins the 2013 award for its iOutLaw—the Mobile Partner to the Attorney Desktop. It is an iPad and iPad Mini app that provides a secure connection to the lawyer's desktop with a Post-it format. The LTN judges confess to some doubt about the title—it's a variation on the firm's internal desktop application, Outlaw—but commend Fish & Richardson for its innovative product that helps their attorneys, wherever they may be, to successfully carry out today's data-intensive practice.
Law Firms: Less than 100 Lawyers: Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith
In the age of electronic data discovery, Solomon Ward, a San Diego-based firm, appears to have reached every firm's goal—the efficient, effective and economical use and management of e-discovery. Combining the latest tools, such as predictive coding, with a technology-aware process, the firm effectively manages e-discovery at what it perceives as far less cost than is customary.
Pro Bono: Illinois Legal Aid
Critical legal needs of our population go unserved daily. Although the individual efforts of members of the legal professions to handle matters pro bono or at reduced cost are commendable, matters would be far worse if we did not have the efforts of innumerable pro bono organizations that not only deliver legal services but also frequently provide a vehicle for individual lawyers and others to volunteer their time effectively.
Illinois Legal Aid has greatly assisted in this effort by creating the Illinois Statewide Online Access System. Developed under the leadership of Gwendelyn Daniels, technology director of Illinois Legal Aid Online, this two-year-plus project was, in the words of the nomination, "designed to streamline the delivery of free legal services in Illinois by directing people seeking civil legal assistance to the best service available for their legal issue in their geographic area" and "is scalable, highly customizable, and it can be easily integrated into existing enterprise systems used by legal aid and pro bono programs." This is an invaluable contribution to pro bono efforts, one which could well be copied throughout the remainder of the nation.
Government: The Judge Advocate government: Judge advocate general's Corps, U.S. Army
It's been a rough year for federal government employees—as well as for the rest of us. Sequestration and government shutdown not only furloughed federal employees, it strained the government's ability to carry out its myriad missions.
Although the news media frequently addressed programs that were abandoned or interrupted—and reported the loss of jobs and work time by employees and the effect on the rest of us—there was little coverage about how difficult it was for the government to just continue effective operations. The last issue was the problem faced by the Army's legal branch.
Composed of active-duty and reserve military lawyers—augmented by civilian employee lawyers, and warrant officer, enlisted and civilian staff—the JAG Corps provides an extraordinary range of legal services to organizations and individuals throughout the world, including "up close and personal" in deployed areas.
Reacting especially to the fiscal consequences of sequestration and shutdown as well as to the usual mission of doing its best with less, the JAG Corps Knowledge Management Office was able to effectively roll out, foster and enhance a system-wide KM program. Consisting of seven "milBook" legal communities of practice, the project has now spread beyond the Army to many lawyers in the other armed forces, enhancing access to legal information and collaborative activity worldwide.
The judges salute the Corps and its KM Office (pictured left—click to enlarge image) for its innovative work.
Corporate Law Department: Unisys Corp.
This year we had record entries for our competition. In recognition of this, the judges and LTN's editor, Monica Bay, have decided to split our prior category of "corporate law department or government" into two slots.
Software often is the key to modern technology, and how to get the right software is almost problematic by definition. You can buy (and often tailor) an off-the-shelf product, develop your own (whether in-house or under contract), or, just perhaps, use open-source software. But management of what may be highly economical open-source software brings difficulties, as Unisys' nominator, who singled out senior attorney Stephanie Thier as instrumental in the project, wrote: "Open source software, once shunned by most corporations, is now being incorporated into almost every level of commercial software. It offers the combination of cost savings, off-the-shelf availability and a seemingly endless catalog of functionalities and applications. However, OSS also brings with it an equally endless catalog of license types and terms; each with its own associated risks and responsibilities that need to be reviewed, cataloged, managed and complied with."
Thier, senior attorney in Unisys' patents and technology office, created an IT-based system "to manage the OSS process from the initial review of the software to the compilation and storage of the appropriate licensing/attribution notices," thus making open-source software usable in this company, which includes more than 20,000 employees.
It's been a year of tablets, clouds and innovation. This summer, watch for information about the how you can nominate candidates for 2014 awards at www.lawtechnews.com . Let's continue to shine a light on often-unsung stars!
Jason Atchley Jason Atchley Jason Atchley Jason Atchley Jason Atchley Jason Atchley
Jason Atchley Jason Atchley Jason Atchley
No comments:
Post a Comment