Legal Administration And Technology

LEGAL ADMINISTRATION and TECHNOLOGY

David Goodwin

Gary Weitzel

INTRODUCTION

This presentation is designed to transition paralegals, as users of IT, into the role of
administrator, the strategist, steward and trouble-shooter of IT.

A basic understanding of a law office network is essential. This understanding includes;
(1) basic and advanced knowledge of a network, (2) the requirements for restoration and
recovery of a network and finally (3) perfecting IT’s strategic plan by correctly
identifying the needs of the users and leveraging the existing and future network services
to address those needs.

This presentation assumes the attendees have a basic understanding of desktop PCs and
networks. As paralegals, you have day-to-day experience with your firm’s technology
and phone system. If you choose to become a law office administrator, you’ll need a
different perspective on IT management. This presentation also assumes that you accept
the requirement that the firm administrator must demonstrate competency in explaining
IT network and structure requirements to the owners of the firm along with projecting the
necessary competence to IT staff and contractors who support this essential service for
the firm.

Administrator’s Role in IT Management

Knowing how to confidently manage staff, solve daily problems and competently plan
for future purchases is a “day one” requirement for the administrator. You must master
the basics of your firm’s network and provide understandable explanations to owners and
users when they have a problem. Credibility is essential and knowledge is the key. Your
ability to recognize what is an “easy fix” and what is a “higher level issue” is a survival
skill which will serve any administrator well.

Once the basic network requirements are understood and you are comfortable describing
your network, you can explain more advanced IT services to the owners and users. These
services will protect and enhance your network.

Job Description of IT Manager

Depending on the size of your firm, you will be required to either perform the duties of
an IT manager or supervise an inside staff or an outside IT service provider. Depending
on your size and requirements, this position may either be a full or partial equivalent.
Therefore, you may need to split duties if a full time equivalent is not available.
Communication about shared IT responsibilities should be detailed and succinct. In any
event, your employee or service provider should be on call and available for consultation
or in the event of a catastrophe. You must understand IT networks and advanced
concepts to effectively supervise your IT manager or to manage the job on your own.

The good news is that there are affordable options for daily IT management and for long-
range strategic planning for your network. IT consulting and service companies can be
cost effective and scalable solutions when you need an expert. They can provide
assistance in budgeting, strategic planning and day-to-day IT support.

For firms with a full or part-time staff member managing IT needs, the new administrator
needs to get the attention and respect of that staff member by demonstrating competency
in understanding their IT role. Once you’ve established respect, the management of that
staff follows. Be sure to review their job description and take the time to understand the
IT staff policy and procedures from the IT manager’s perspective. This insight may help
you in the future if you need to modify the requirements or manage unacceptable
performance.

For smaller firms, a service agreement with an IT service firm (outside IT manager) may
be logical. In that case, the administrator acts as the trouble-shooter for issues before the
outside IT manager is advised of the issue. Some firms will have an embedded link on
the PCs that guides users through the issue, allows submission then reports back to the
administrator and user when the issue is fixed. The tracking of these workday issues is
very important as you build your future plans of work and track expenses. Outside IT
managers usually access the network remotely to fix the problem and load updates and
patches to PCs. The ability to access an in-house server remotely has significantly
lowered the cost of network maintenance and service call over the years.

Training Is a Priority …. then train some more

As the administrator, you will be responsible for training, sometimes called on-boarding,
new employees to your IT and phone systems, along with IT policies and procedures. As
an administrator, I can testify to the absolute necessity of training employees to
competency and beyond for basic and advanced IT services. This is especially true when
you migrate to a new version of MS Office or an update of a service. You may have time
to create your own training manuals, along with the firm’s policies and procedures. If
you do not have the time, plan for the expense in next year’s budget. Always budget and
defend money for training. There are also professional associations, colleges and
consulting services that will help you manage this time-consuming and expensive
necessity.

Your IT Department and Your Peace of Mind

Building a credible and reliable IT department will keep you sane. Can you imagine
frequent disruptions in the network and interruptions in the many applications that your
attorneys and staff rely on?

Can you imagine walking into an owner’s office to ask for a $5,000 check for an
unanticipated IT cost? An administrator may confront these problems occasionally, but
unanticipated problems in IT will wreak havoc on your credibility and reliability.
Remember to review problem and event logs during your budget preparation to identify
trends that need attention. A budget and strategic IT plan must be approved before the
start of the fiscal year and reviewed on a monthly basis.

As an administrator, you will present a budget to your owners and, when approved, you
will be expected to live with your projections. IT is a major spend for all law firms. As
you build or manage your budget, anticipating the monthly cost of capital and operational
outlays is key. Working with your IT manager or consultant to plan the cost of the
coming year and tweak the coming year’s plan of work should occur well before the
beginning of your fiscal year. Industry surveys may also help you benchmark your IT
budget against similarly-sized firms if you find that useful.

The ability to turn software services on or off as needed is desirable. For example,
litigation presentation services can be purchased, contracted on a monthly or database
size basis or be part of a litigation consultant hired to run the service. The project, your
budget, your client’s needs and authorization for costs will be your guide.

Reliable support from your IT manager, either in-house or outside, is the most important
factor in your after-hours happiness. The reliability of your version of MS Office suite
coupled with the real or perceived uptime of your accounting, time & billing, case &
document management software is a reflection on your effectiveness as an administrator
and your standing in the eyes of your IT users. Be forewarned, reliable voice and data
services to your users can make you or break you. Pay attention and be sure to thank
anyone who brings a problem or a complaint to you.

Problems are opportunities to build credibility and enhance the culture and productivity
of the firm. Communicate any problems affecting users immediately to users and update
that status as services return. Keep the owners immediately informed and, when
appropriate, forewarned if a problem requiring service interruption or unbudgeted
spending is needed.

If the network goes down, your ability to accurately diagnose the problem and quickly
work with your IT manager to restore essential services is a requirement only you can
control. Experience shows that the owner’s satisfaction with your response to business
interruptions, including IT network issues and your ability to quickly restore services and
recover data is a critical element of your performance appraisal and a requirement to
continue your tenure with the firm. Your ability to quickly restore and recover the
services and data will enhance your role as the legal administrator.

A. Basic Hardware Needs of the Law Office

In order to evaluate and apply technology for the benefit of both the firm and the client,
we need a basic understanding of the components and principals of technology. Because
the majority of you are in firms that already have some level of IT now, we’ll be focusing
on in-house technology and solutions, with a discussion later of external hosted, or cloud
alternatives.

Although most of you know these basics, I want to cover a few details so we’re all
looking from the same viewpoint, so I’ll try to move it right along. Whether we’re
talking about PC’s or servers, the primary component in all of IT is the computer, and it
gets used just about the same way.

Personal Computer
Windows operating system
Applications, most commonly Microsoft Office
Stores data files when the PC is not networked

Utility Devices
Print / Scan / Fax / Copy
Combination or multi-function units
Caution in high volume locations
Bottlenecks and single point of failure
Especially if document imaging is a goal

Network
Share common applications and data between users
More efficient use of resources, utilities
Wired with simple, inexpensive switches is best, but cable costs can be significant
Wireless is a cheap, flexible option, but slower and more risk

Server
Windows Server operating system
Network services for control, authentication, sharing
Applications and services
File storage
Shared/common
Personal for security and backup
Common point of backup, Data and Power
Data backup, and its twin, recovery, will be covered later.
Uninterruptible Power Systems (UPS)

Multiple Servers
Services or applications that require dedicated servers
Too large or complex to share hardware
Required by the application software producer
Just don’t play well with others

Virtual Servers
Run multiple software server(s) within a single hardware server
Where hardware demands are not too great, but a separate server is required
Avoids the cost of additional server hardware
Free with Windows Server and other sources, such as VMware
Hybrid solutions comprised of both multiple hardware and virtual servers
Modular servers available now that allow multiple hardware and virtual servers, with
common data storage, all in a single hardware chassis

Voice Communication
Conventional key systems
Familiar, straight forward, little or no training
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
More software driven, flexible
Multi-location or travel friendly, free long distance
Hybrid systems with features of both, Voice/Data cable options

Voice and/or Data Providers
Previously separate as phone company and Internet service provider (ISP)
Now integrated services combining both are more flexible and cost effective
T1 or multiple T1’s, based on phone lines, typically AT&T
Cable based systems, Comcast, Time Warner, Bright House, etc.
Dual providers for best of features and redundancy (fail-safe)
Key ingredient, Telecom Consultant
Product and market savvy for your needs
Examines all requirements, knows what to look for
Extra level of support /service, usually no cost, as providers pay them

B. Factors to Consider When Evaluating Software and Related Information
Management Systems

Administrators often lead the evaluation of software although many of the tasks involved
are delegated to others. Evaluation is actually becoming less burdensome on the network
as hosted solutions and virtual servers are available. That is the good news. For the
administrator and owners, the question still remains; does the benefit of the new software
justify the cost of the new service? Is there a less expensive, more efficient solution to
the problem?

The administrator must consider these questions during the evaluation phase:

Initial Assessment

 Exactly what problem will the proposed software solve? Is there an existing
program that can solve this problem without a purchase?

 Does the proposed software integrate real-time and share common databases with
your core Information Management programs?

 Does the client require the software as part of their engagement requirements? Is
the investment justified by the quality of the engagement?

Practical Considerations

 What are the costs of installation, training, upgrades, patches and service
agreements over the useful life of the software?

 How much attorney/paralegal billable time will be used to understand the
technological needs and practical uses of the program?

 What network resources are required to install, run the program and store the
data?

 Will you set up the beta on a dedicated server or run in a virtual environment?
What is the associated cost in time and treasure to evaluate the software? Do you
have an existing server with the technical requirements to run the software? If
beta is in the hosted (in the cloud), do you have enough bandwidth to run the beta
without compromising your existing voice and data services?

 For confidential or proprietary data, what security and restrictions are needed?

Other Factors affecting Profitability

 If the software is limited by engagement or practice area, will the client(s) fund a
portion or the entire cost? How soon can the firm recover the cost of evaluation
and purchase?

 Where will the application and data be hosted?

 What peripheral equipment/software costs are associated with the solution?

 Does the software require an expert or outside consultant to run the program
without problems at trial, deposition, etc.?

Paralegals and administrators have many opportunities to network and see
demonstrations of software solutions through local association and bar events, on-line
demonstrations and materials received from your association membership. As an
administrator, you will spend time listening to prospects for new software solutions from
attorneys, colleagues, friends, family, acquaintances and those ever-present flyers and ads
that clutter our physical and electronic inboxes.

Evaluating programs is a great opportunity for administrators to demonstrate competence
and guide the evaluation process. Your analytic skills, written and oral communication,
professional relationships and final recommendation will be judged by your owners and
colleagues. Your ability to guide the owners to a decision is a critical task and another of
the many requirements of an administrator’s job.

C. Leveraging Technology for Maximum Productivity
What is leverage? Is leverage a different term for different situations? For IT, I define
leveraging as doing similar tasks with fewer resources and less spend. Consider these
examples:

1. When an engagement is approved, staff is required to make the same entry in
multiple service databases, such as MS Outlook, case and document
management, time and billing system, accounting system and the cost
recovery system. Wow, that is a lot of administrative time for a busy firm.
Technology was leveraged by finding a non-proprietary solution for a single
database shared by the necessary services.
2. The old, worn-out server operating system is no longer supported by
Microsoft and no new updates and patches are available in the future. The
firm is also planning migration from MS Office 2003 Professional to MS
Office 2007 Professional.
Technology was leveraged because the firm was already planning for this
purchase and the IT strategic plan called for the upgrade of server’s hardware
and operating system and office suite. After consultants responded to RFP
requirements, a modular server with a SAN and the ability to run virtual
servers was purchased. Reducing the number of server boxes, mitigating the
purchase of a stand-alone SAN and adding virtual services at a reduced cost
compared to a traditional server farm leveraged the firm’s money, reliability
and efficiency; and,
3. The aged PBX key phone system (actually a great phone system) was no
longer supported and service calls were very expensive, as was the cost of the
frequently replaced phones.
Technology was leveraged using the money saved from the server update. A
VOIP system and three T-1 lines were leased with minimal set up costs. The
system improved the band width in and out of the firm, improved productivity
of timekeepers and became an integral part of the firm’s disaster recovery
program.

I believe that leveraging IT does not happen in a vacuum. Remember to listen and
ask your network of fellow administrators, office managers, IT managers and
consulting experts for tips on how to make the most of your IT network.

When you have all the right systems and software in place, and the whole firm is taking
full advantage of all this technology, the one thing you absolutely must do, is keep it
working. There are two critical areas that must be built in from the start to guarantee
uptime as much as possible. Those two are proactive network security and a
comprehensive backup / recovery plan.

Network Security
Threats are varied, some are just malicious, but many are also thieves.
Viruses
Malware (Adware//Spyware)
Hackers and Sabotage
Solutions
Current active anti-virus software running on all systems
Serious Firewall protection, we favor a separate appliance with strong software
Can provide separate, yet secure, guest wireless network
Up to date versions and patches of software to prevent vulnerabilities
Encryption to protect sensitive data in email, regulation coming.

Backup & Recovery
This is the single most important, and potentially dangerous issue, which is generally
misunderstood. And I’d like for everyone to understand the facts. The great
misconception is: “In the event of a failure or disaster I can just put my backup tape in
and restore my data, server, network, etc.” The same can be said if you are using on-line
backup, external drives, etc.

Let’s take a quick look at that server diagram. Remember, the server is loaded with
Windows Server, then the application software, in this case the backup software, then we
run the backup and put everything out on the tape. Now when disaster strikes, the server
is wiped out. So we fix the server, but now we can’t read the tape, because the backup
software isn’t there to read it, and we can’t load the backup software because the
operating system isn’t there either. If we don’t have some way to restore the complete
package of operating system and applications, we could be days of work away from using
the data on that tape.

A positive and tested system of server imaging and recovery needs to be in place to
reduce the effort to a few hours or the firm could be unable to function for days. Most
firms do not have any such system.

Cloud Computing / Hosted Solutions
The applications and functions that an in house network can provide to a firm are also
available over the Internet (in the Cloud) on an as needed basis. Buying only the amount
of network power and resource required, from a professional IT provider, allows a firm a
great deal of flexibility and expense control.

New and smaller firms can avoid the high initial cost of implementing a network before
they know what their real needs may be, working toward an in house network as volume
and needs develop.

New applications can be implemented , either for evalutation, or for short term needs,
such as specific case requirements. Quicker and with less front end cost, until results
justify more capital expenditure.

Hosted applications and/or services can be all that a firm ever needs, or they can be a
valuable asset as a supplement to an in house network. As a result, always keep their
potential in mind when making new IT plans for the firm. As always, review the
possiblities with your consultant or IT provider for a more complete perspective.

CONCLUSION

Facilitating the Transition from a user of IT to the strategist, steward and diagnostician of
your IT network was the goal of this short presentation. You now know the basics of the
administrative tasks of managing IT along with the practical technical concepts which
will help you explain your network to owners and users. We’ve discussed the
expectations and requirements that an owner expects from their administrator along with
the leadership role an administrator fosters among the users.

Training remains an important component of leveraging IT, yet it remains the task that is
most easily forgotten in the day-to-day and yearly plan of work for the firm. The critical
role played by your IT manager and/or technology consultant was discussed as important
in your daily efforts to promote efficiency and reliability, along with setting your vision
for future improvements described in your strategic plan and budget.

The images and discussion of the basic and advanced requirements of your server, along
with the task of leveraging existing services to newer requirements, will help you explain
your vision to the owners of the firm. After all, as an administrator, perhaps the most
important skill is your knowledge and ability to explain the IT network and structure
requirements to the owners of the firm along with projecting the necessary competence to
IT staff and contractors who support this essential service for the firm.

Many excellent resources are available to educate administrators on the art of IT
management. A short bibliography is found in Appendix A.

Gary and Dave are available following the session and we invite you to contact us if your
firm needs help dealing with the day-to-day or strategic IT issues.

APPENDIX A

TECHNOLOGY, NETWORKS & SYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Help Desk:

Adkins, Andrew III. “Outsourcing Showcase: Delegating IT.” Law Technology News
Web site. http://www.lawtechnews.com/r5/showkiosk.asp?listing_id=700425

Epstein, Jason I. “Ten Legal Issues of Technology Outsourcing.” Baker Donelson
Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz Web site.
http://www.bakerdonelson.com/Content.aspx?NodeID=200&PublicationID=4

Locke, Madeline. “Helping Your Help Desk: Seven Considerations to Increase
Effectiveness.” TCMnet.com Web site.
http://www.tmcnet.com/tmcnet/articles/imi1298.htm

Rayhill, C.J. “How to Help the Help Desk: 21st Century Support for IT Pros.”
TechNewsWorld Web site.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/62475.html?wlc=1255535879

Williams, Adelaine F. “How a Midsize Firm Outsources Its Help Desk.” Law.com Web
site.
http://www.law.com/jsp/legaltechnology/pubArticleLT.jsp?id=1202433434065&How_a_
Midsize_Firm_Outsources_Its_Help_Desk

Training:

Carter Reynolds, Judye. “Defining Success When It Comes to Legal Technology
Training Programs.” Legal Tech Newsletter, April 2006.
http://esqinc.com/esqfiles/Articles/Judye-LJN-042006.htm?php

Hectus, Justin. “Innovative Approaches to Tech Training.” Law.com Web site.
http://www.law.com/jsp/legaltechnology/pubArticleLT.jsp?id=1202434234841&Innovati
ve_Approaches_to_Tech_Training

ILTA White Paper. “User Support: Beyond the Classroom.” International Legal
Technology Association Web site.
http://www.iltanet.org/WhitePaperPDFs/2008UserSupportBeyondtheClassroom.pdf.aspx

Mulkeen, William and Charlotte Harris. “Tech Turbulence: Don’t Neglect Training.”
Law Technology News Web site.
http://www.lawtechnews.com/r5/showkiosk.asp?listing_id=3147815

Tincher, Dale H. and Wendy R. Leibowitz. “Tech Training.” North Carolina Bar
Association Web site.
http://www.ncbar.org/membership/smolo/practiceTips/techTraining.aspx

Network:

ILTA White Paper. “Cracking the Code on Security.” International Legal Technology
Association Web site. http://www.iltanet.org/WhitePaperPDFs/Security.aspx

Nelson, Sharon D. and John W. Simek. “Building Better Fences.” Legal Management,
March/April 2006.
http://www.alanet.org/publications/issue/marapr06/BuildingBetterFences.pdf

Poll, Ed. “Network Security: An Oxymoron? Preparation Is Pivotal to Ensure Your
Firm’s Survival.” Legal Management, May/June 2007.
http://www.alanet.org/publications/issue/mayjun07/LawBizCoach.pdf

Sanders Reach, Catherine. “The Importance of Having Backups.” ABA Legal
Technology Research Center Web site.
http://www.abanet.org/tech/ltrc/publications/backup.html

Woo, Kevin. “Data Loss Prevention Systems at Your Firm.” Law.com Legal
Technology Web site.
http://www.law.com/jsp/legaltechnology/pubArticleLT.jsp?id=1202433814819&Data_L
oss_Prevention_Systems_at_Your_Firm

Compiled by
The Association of Legal Administrators
ALA Management Solutions(sm)
Lincolnshire, IL

Legal Administration And Technology

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (18)

Ähnlich wie Legal Administration And Technology

Ähnlich wie Legal Administration And Technology (20)

Legal Administration And Technology