Exterro has published an e-book on e-discovery project management, which shows how to incorporate project management principles and tools into your legal process.

E-Discovery is often treated as a reactive activity without defined, repeatable processes, resulting in missed deadlines, lost evidence, and miscommunications which can all lead to wasted time, increased internal costs, and potential legal sanctions, Exterro says on its website. But e-discovery doesn’t have to be run this way.

The book shows how to:

• Empower your legal team to focus on the tasks that matter
• Create visibility for team members
• Collaborate effectively with other teams inside and out of the organization
• Provide the necessary predictability and accountability to ensure your project is completed in a timely, cost conscious manner

Download the e-book.

Dallas-based trial law firm Deans & Lyons, LLP, is expanding its Texas footprint with the addition of five prominent trial attorneys in the firm’s newly opened Houston office at 1001 Fannin St., Suite 1925.

Joining the firm are veteran Houston trial lawyers Tom Sartwelle, Matt Pletcher and Jeff Nobles, previously with the Houston office of Beirne, Maynard & Parsons, LLP, and Chad Castille and Matt McCracken, previously of Houston-based Serpe Jones Andrews Callender & Bell, PLLC.

According to a release published by the firm, Castille will serve as managing partner of the Houston office. His practice is concentrated on complex civil litigation, representing individuals, small businesses and Fortune 500 corporations in a diverse array of industries. His expertise includes cases involving medical and hospital negligence, oil and gas, commercial and residential construction, pharmaceutical liability, medical devices, catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death, and commercial business disputes and torts.

Read the article.

Poor IT contract management can cost your business time, money and legal fees, writes Sarah K. White for CIO.com. She offers some tips on how to minimize risk by focusing on restructuring contract management and training employees around compliance.

She talked to Russ Edelman, CEO of Corridor Company, a company dedicated to contract management technology. The article says “he’s seen a trend where businesses find themselves far behind in modernizing the contract process, but he notes that it’s a fixable problem with the right technology, budgets and staffing. It’s not only about upgrading the systems and process you have in place, but also ensuring all your employees are invested in proper contract management and understand the implications.”

“Edelman points to three common trends he sees in mismanaged contracts, the first being an overall lack of trust along with ‘disconnected and disparate systems used to house contracts.’ Typically, he will find that contracts are stored in multiple locations — both digital and physical — with a lack of consistency,” according to the report.

Read the article.

Parsons McEntire McCleary & Clark PLLC announces the opening of its new law practice focused upon trials, arbitrations, appeals, and dispute resolution nationwide and in all forums.

PMMC opens with 10 attorneys and with offices in Houston and Dallas. Name shareholders are Jeff Parsons, Sawnie McEntire, Roger McCleary, and David Clark. David Walton, Kristen McDanald, and Rob Rosen are also shareholders in the new firm. The associates are Brandon Montminy, Sarah Sparling, and Ryan Starbird.

Jeff Parsons, a former member of the Texas State Bar Association Board of Directors, is PMMC’s chair. Sawnie McEntire is manager of PMMC’s Dallas office, and Roger McCleary is PMMC’s vice-chair.

In a release, the firm said PMMC’s attorneys have experience handling complex commercial and personal injury litigation and arbitration disputes, including complex business litigation involving contract, fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference, unfair competition, and other business claims; energy industry litigation; major construction cases; complex insurance coverage disputes; intellectual property cases; defense of products liability and other wrongful death and bodily injury litigation; class action, banking, finance, and securities litigation; environmental and toxic tort lawsuits; fidelity and surety claims; and myriad other types of claims.

According to the release, PMMC’s clients include AIG, AWAC, Capital One, Cushman & Wakefield, CWS Capital Partners, Hallmark Financial, Hubbell, Ironshore, Level 3 Communications, Lexington, LVL Claims, Matthews International, Superior Energy, Universal Protection Services, York Risk Services, and Wood Group.

The Dallas-based law firm Standly Hamilton, LLP, announces that personal injury attorney Stephen Blackburn has joined the firm.

Blackburn is a trial lawyer who focuses his practice on cases involving serious personal injuries, wrongful death and dangerous water contamination. He previously worked with the Baron & Budd law firm in Dallas.

Blackburn also has experience representing people and communities in environmental contamination claims, in addition to working on cases involving dangerous medical devices, pharmaceutical drugs and exposure to toxic chemicals and other dangerous products.

“I am very excited about continuing my work at Standly Hamilton by helping people who often are facing life-altering injuries that were caused by a corporation or someone else’s negligence,” says Blackburn. “Chris Hamilton and I have worked together over the years, and we both are looking forward to protecting our clients’ rights and growing the firm.”

A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, Blackburn earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida. He is admitted to practice law in both Texas and California, including the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas and the Northern and Central Districts of California.

Blackburn is a member of the American Bar Association, American Association for Justice and the Public Justice Foundation.

New details found in the leaked documents known as the Panama Papers indicate the magnitude of the use of shell companies in Africa to launder money, often illegally obtained from bribes, involving the sale of oil and other natural resources, according to an article published by Androvett Legal Media & Marketing. “That should prompt any oil companies doing business in Africa to quickly take stock of their contracts on that continent,” says Thomas Fox, a Houston consultant and lawyer who advises companies on international business and anti-bribery laws.

“It is imperative that any multinational company operating in Africa immediately check its contracts and payments to determine if it has been doing business with one of the shell companies listed in this most recent report,” says Fox, who is editor of the FCPA Compliance and Ethics Report. “If they fail to do that, those companies will be in a much worse position when they receive an inquiry from the U.S. Department of Justice or Securities and Exchange Commission.”

The latest revelations were published Monday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in collaboration with African news organizations. “These reports indicate that Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca established shell corporations for people in 44 of Africa’s 54 countries to assist in oil, gas and mining deals,” says Mr. Fox.

He notes that the first two waves of data published from the leaked documents came from politicians who used offshore tax havens to hide money and from U.S. citizens who used offshore tax havens to evade federal income taxes. “This third round of analysis puts the spotlight on those foreign officials who needed to launder money received from bribery and corruption.”

Fox, the former general counsel of an oilfield services company, has published several books on corporate compliance and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He is the founder of Advanced Compliance Solutions.

Foley & Lardner LLP has announced  that Andrew Hurst has joined the firm’s Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice as partner in the Washington, D.C. office. Hurst joins Foley with more than two decades of experience litigating matters related to civil fraud and white collar criminal defense.

Hurst represents life sciences companies, health care providers, government contractors and other corporations in civil fraud litigation, with a focus on False Claims Act (FCA) matters. Hurst also represents corporations and individuals in connection with criminal investigations and prosecutions by the Department of Justice and other federal and state entities. He has experience representing defendants and targets in a number of areas, including Medicare and Medicaid fraud, campaign finance, economic espionage, computer crimes and Independent Counsel investigations.

“Andrew’s experience effectively combines FCA and regulatory issues, providing a strong platform that our clients in the life sciences and health care industries will find very valuable,” said Michael Gay, chair of Foley’s Litigation Department.

In addition, Hurst has extensive experience serving as outside general counsel for a number of small and mid-size emerging companies.

“We are thrilled to have Andrew join the Foley team. He has an established litigation practice that will complement our Washington, D.C. office and national litigation department very well,” said Scott Fredericksen, managing partner of Foley’s Washington, D.C. office.

Prior to joining Foley, Hurst was at Reed Smith LLP.

By Stephen F. Pinson
Scott & Scott, LLP

Indemnification is a very important provision in a software agreement. It transfers legal risk between contracting parties, and the indemnification provision acts like an insurance policy for future lawsuits where a contracting party is sued by a third-party to the contract. Because this provision is a risk transfer mechanism, it is crucial to understand it and to successfully negotiate it to prevent unwanted risk.

Before we jump into how to negotiate an indemnification provision, there are some basic definitions that need to be understood:

• An Indemnitee is a contracting party who is entitled to be indemnified.
• On the other hand, an Indemnitor promises to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Indemnitee against liability from a third person, or against loss resulting from liability.
• A third-party is a person or entity that is not a party to the original contact, but who sues one of the contracting parties.

So how does an indemnification provision operate? Typically, an indemnification provision is triggered when a third-party to the contract brings a claim against one of the contracting parties (i.e., contracting party vs. third-party claimant). Very rarely, is it triggered when there is a direct party claim (i.e., contracting party vs. contracting party). At its core, an indemnification provision allows the party who is responsible for liability (the Indemnitee) to transfer his loss or liability to another party who will represent them in court (the Indemnitor), and pick up the litigation costs and liability from a third-party who bring a lawsuit against the Indemnitee.

One of the major pitfalls in negotiating an indemnification section is contained in the structure of the contract provision itself and the intent of the software licensor. Many contracts include boilerplate language, thus, contract negotiators must develop a systematic way to review the language and then develop a strategy to address the indemnification section for their side of the deal. To do this, the parties must first understand the risks involved with a particular software license and negotiate for the specific risk type.

The best way to put this into action is to review the indemnification section and put the language into more concrete roadmap to negotiate the contract by asking the following questions: (1) what are the licensor’s objectives in the indemnification section, (2) what are licensee’s objectives in the indemnification section, (3) what is a checklist of elements and questions that should be negotiated in a indemnification section, and (4) what is a general checklist of provisions that should be included in a indemnification section.

I will discuss each one of these questions in upcoming blogs.

Remember, an indemnification section is a specialized risk transfer section of a software contract. It is crucial to understand it and to successfully negotiate it to prevent unwanted risk. It is always important to seek advice from experienced legal counsel in order to understand all the risks involved when negotiating these types of provisions in a software contract.

Quarles & Brady LLP has been named to list of the 2016 Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women. Working Mother recognizes firms for leading the industry in creating and using best practices in retaining and promoting women lawyers.

The full list of the 2016 Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women is posted here with highlights on representation of women and women of color in key leadership roles, and usage and promotion rates for reduced-hour lawyers, among other key points. Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers co-founded the Best Law Firms for Women initiative in 2007 to recognize firms that lead the industry in initiatives for women’s business development and career advancement, plus offer flexible work arrangements and generous paid parental leave, among other important benefits.

In a release, the firm said:

This year, women represent 30% of nonequity lawyers, the highest percentage in the past nine years while 20% of equity partners were women compared with a national average of 18%. The number of Best Law Firms reporting three or more women among the top ten rainmakers increased from 16% to 22% over the last year (at the 46 winning firms that responded).

For the first time this year, the proportion of female equity partner promotions is the same for firms with one-tiered tracks and two-tiered tracks. At single-tier firms, female equity partner promotions increased one percentage point, year over year, to 34%. At two-tiered firms, the promotion rate increased to 34% from 30% in 2015. The number of nonequity partner promotions going to women (36%) increased one percentage point, year over year.

Jennifer Owens, editorial director of Working Mother Media, says, “Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers’ Best Law Firms show how to make it work. Despite intense pressures, the success of the firms in creating workable solutions for working families shows their commitment and ingenuity to create a progressive future for their firms.”

Subha Barry, VP & General Manager, Working Mother Media, says, “As we celebrate the Best Law Firms for Women, there is still much work to be done, with only 18% of equity partners being female nationwide, reported by the National Association of Women Lawyers. With grit and client centeredness, women lawyers can continue to find growing success as rainmakers and a pathway to leadership positions.”

Deborah Epstein Henry, president of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, adds, “In reflecting on the decade since we began the Best Law Firms for Women initiative, we are pleased to see firms competing to make their environments more hospitable for women to both work and thrive. The greater level of awareness and commitment to make change is what will enable women to propel to the next level.”

Birmingham, Alabama-based Maynard Cooper & Gale, P.C. announces that the firm has elected veteran leader Greg Curran as chairman of the firm. Curran is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and has most recently served as chair of the firm’s Business Section.

Jeff Grantham, another tenured leader of the firm, was elected vice-chairman and chief strategy officer. He also is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and has served as chair of the firm’s Litigation Section.

Curran will succeed Mark Drew who served as managing shareholder of the firm for the last decade. Drew has been appointed executive vice president and general counsel of the firm’s long-time client, Protective Life Corporation. With this appointment, he will continue a legacy of Maynard Cooper alumni leadership at Protective Life.

“Mark has been a great leader for the firm for the past ten years and he will be missed. We will stay true to our culture and remain focused on executing the firm’s strategic plan. Providing value to our clients and our people will be at the center of all we do,” said Curran.

In the past decade, Maynard Cooper has expanded across Alabama into markets including Huntsville and Mobile, and is expanding outside the state with the opening of an office in San Francisco. The firm has grown from 145 attorneys in 2006 to 240 today.

Jeff Grantham commented, “We are grateful for Mark’s years of leadership. He will be a great asset to Protective Life’s management team. He has set a high bar but the firm is blessed with distinguished clients and a deep bench of talented individuals. We will continue to focus on the needs of our clients, invest in our talent and execute on growth opportunities.”

Barnes & Thornburg LLP announced today that David Wood, John Corbett and Joshua Rosenberg have joined the firm’s Litigation Department and Insurance Recovery and Counseling Practice Group. The trio arrives from Anderson Kill’s Ventura, California, office, where Wood served as co-managing shareholder.

Wood, a partner, and Rosenberg, an associate, reside in Barnes & Thornburg’s Los Angeles office, while Corbett, of counsel, is based in Dallas. They are the latest attorneys to join the firm’s growing litigation bench, which in the last three months has added Anthony Son and Lee Hutton in Minneapolis; Elizabeth Brandon in Dallas; Brett Pyrdek in Chicago; and Michael Battle in Washington, D.C.

Earlier this year, Barnes & Thornburg’s insurance recovery group was named an “Insurance Practice Group of the Year” by Law360 for its successful representation of clients in several noteworthy litigation matters. Members of Barnes & Thornburg’s Insurance Recovery and Counseling Practice Group have litigated against virtually all major insurance carriers in trial and appellate courts across the country.

“David, John and Josh have helped corporate and individual policyholders resolve insurance coverage disputes throughout the U.S. and will add to our deep bench of insurance recovery lawyers across the country,” said Charles Edwards, co-chair of the firm’s Insurance Recovery and Counseling Practice Group. “We welcome this high-caliber group who will vigorously advocate on behalf of clients facing risks with significant insurance implications.”

The firm’s release continues:

About the Attorneys

David Wood has more than 30 years of experience in high-profile insurance disputes and recovery litigation involving Fortune 1000 corporations and corporate directors and officers spanning many different industries, including financial services, healthcare, high tech, telecommunications, hospitality, construction, manufacturing and automotive. He represents publicly- and privately-owned corporations in enforcing their claims under professional errors and omissions, D&O liability, special risk and general liability policies, and fidelity bonds, among others. He also assists clients on insurance coverage matters concerning data breaches and other cybersecurity issues.

Wood is a frequent speaker and author on insurance policy enforcement topics and often serves as a subject matter expert for media regarding notable insurance cases and issues. Additionally, Wood is treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the Atlantic Legal Foundation based in New York. Closer to home, he is a director and past president of the Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families serving abused and neglected children. He is recognized as a leading practitioner in his field, including a peer rating of “AV Preeminent® by his peers as listed in Martindale-Hubbell®. In 2016, he was selected for the fourth time by his peers for recognition in Southern California Super Lawyers for Insurance Coverage.

Wood received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law after graduating cum laude from Williams College. He is admitted to practice in state of California and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California.

John Corbett represents corporate policyholders in a wide variety of industries ranging from construction and transportation to telecommunications and healthcare management. He has extensive experience in obtaining recoveries under general liability, cyber insurance,
director and officers (D&O) and professional errors and omissions (E&O) policies.

Corbett received his J.D., cum laude, from the Pepperdine University School of Law and his M.A. and B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is admitted to practice in the states of California and Texas.

Joshua Rosenberg works exclusively with policyholders within his insurance recovery practice and concentrates on corporate and commercial litigation as well. Previously, he worked as a land use and planning legal consultant. Prior to that, Rosenberg was a judicial intern for Hon. Dana M. Sabraw in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Rosenberg received his J.D. from the Pepperdine University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is admitted to practice in the state of California and before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Harold D. Pope has joined Dykema in its Litigation Department as a senior counsel in the firm’s Detroit office. Prior to joining Dykema, Pope practiced at the Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss office in Detroit.

Pope focuses his practice on representing local and national companies in State and Federal Courts on matters regarding commercial; products liability; defense of sex, age and race discrimination claims for corporate employers; personal injury; franchise termination and disputes over exclusive market areas; disputes between automotive suppliers and manufacturers; construction claims; general contact; small corporation disputes; professional malpractice; and directors’ and officers’ liability. His experience includes the dismissal and resolution of several multimillion dollar commercial disputes.

Pope is active in professional organizations, previously holding many leadership positions. He is a Past President for the National Bar Association, Past Chair for the National Bar Institute, and Past Chair for the American Bar Association (ABA) Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice. Pope is also a past member of the ABA Board of Governors, the State Bar of Michigan Judicial Qualifications Committee and previously served on the Board of Trustees for the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation. He is a current member of the Wolverine Bar Association, the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association, the ABA House of Delegates Nominating Committee, and the ABA Audit Committee.

Pope has received numerous honors and awards, including the National Bar Association’s C. Francis Stradford Award, the State Bar of Michigan’s Champion of Justice Award, the D. Augustus Straker Bar Association Trailblazer Award, the Wolverine Bar Association’s Damon J. Keith Community Service Award, and the National Bar Association Commercial Law Section’s Cora T. Walker Legacy Award.

“Harold’s deep experience in product liability and commercial litigation matters enhances the strength of our Detroit office,” said Peter Kellett, Dykema Chairman and CEO. “His extensive involvement in professional organizations and the business community serve as a great model for other attorneys to follow. We are excited that he has joined the firm.”

Pope received his J.D. from Duke University Law School, and a B.A., summa cum laude, in Political Science from Concordia College.

Bloomberg Law is reporting that Yahoo General Counsel Ronald Bell could receive as much as $9 million in severance payout as a result of Verizon Communications’s $4.8 cash acquisition, according to the company’s filings.

In the report, Gabe Friedman points out that Bell’s so-called golden parachute payday is subject to a number of caveats, including that Verizon closes its deal to purchase Yahoo and that he is terminated.

By analyzing SEC filings, Friedman estimated severance payouts for other Yahoo executives, including $54.8 million the company’s CEO Marisa Mayer, $19.8 million for its chief revenue officer Lisa Utzschneider, and $16.1 million for chief financial officer Ken Goldman.

“All of those payouts are dependent on a number of factors, including that the executives leave the company,” according to the report.

Read the article.

Microsoft is facing two lawsuits seeking class-action status related to the company’s campaign to get people to use Windows 10, reports The Seattle Times.

A suit in U.S. District Court in Florida alleges Microsoft’s Windows 10 update prompts violated laws governing unsolicited electronic advertisements, as well as Federal Trade Commission prohibitions on deceptive and unfair practices. And a suit filed earlier in Israel, also seeking class-action status, alleges Windows 10 installed on Windows users’ computers without their consent, in violation of Israeli law.

“The lawsuits follow complaints from Windows users and longtime Microsoft watchers for what some said were pushy or deceptive prompts to update to Windows 10,” writes The Times‘ Matt Day.

Read the article.

Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bancorp has reportedly fired its general counsel, Heather Russell Koenig, over what the bank called “a personal matter,” reports the Cincinnati Business Courier. She was the bank’s chief legal officer and corporate secretary.

In a statement, the bank said: “A personal matter has been brought to our attention that Fifth Third believes represents a conflict of interest. To resolve this, we have determined that the best course of action was a separation. Heather is a very qualified lawyer, and this matter had nothing to do with any of the legal work done by Heather during her tenure at Fifth Third.”

She previously worked at Bank of New York Mellon, Bank of America and Skadden, Arps in its Washington and London offices, reports Erin Caproni.

Read the article.

The Ninth Annual Blickstein Group Law Department Operations Survey, in cooperation with Consilio, is being conducted online now, with a deadline of Tuesday, August 9.

The survey is the oldest research specifically covering law department operations. It is designed solely for the professionals who manage complex legal department operations for their companies, Blickstein Group says on its website.

The LDO survey was first created in 2008 to give law departments a consistent platform to benchmark themselves and shed light on the then-emerging profession of law department operations.

Sponsors of this year’s survey include QuisLex, Exterro and Onit.

Survey participants will receive copies of the proprietary.

Topics include:

• Compensation
• Metrics and Reporting
• Outside Counsel Management
• Technology and Cybersecurity
• Change Management

Participate in the survey.

Image by NY Photographic

Bryan Cave has posted the audio and presentation slides of a webinar the firm recently presented examining how recent government settlements reinforce best practice components of an effective FCPA compliance program. The webinar was titled “Benchmarking Your FCPA Compliance Program.”

The webinar includes a landmark settlement against telecommunications provider VimpelCom Ltd.

DC partner Mark Srere, Denver partner Andrew Mohraz and DC associate Kristin Robinson lead the discussion on VimpelCom and other cases.

The webinar is the third of the year in Bryan Cave’s anti-corruption series. The topic will be of interest to in-house counsel and compliance professionals of companies that conduct business outside the United States.

Access the on-demand webinar.

By Monica Zent
Founder and CEO of Foxwordy and ZentLaw

The reluctance of legal departments to adopt new technologies to improve their work is a tried but true narrative. While many general counsel are making progress in adopting technologies, perhaps by necessity as budgets shrink, there are still many GC at legal industry events who are avoiding technologies that have the potential to evolve their practice and their teams for the better.

It doesn’t need to be this way. General counsel can serve as the champion in their department for legal technology, and the reality is that technology is here to stay. There are certain basic technologies that have become absolute imperatives for successful GC leadership.

Here are the five basic technologies every GC must adopt now:

1. LinkedIn Is No Longer Optional

Despite the networking site’s recent $26 billion acquisition by Microsoft cementing its ubiquity, I continue to encounter an astonishing number of otherwise brilliant GCs who have little to no appearance on the site. This is a mistake, as LinkedIn provides many opportunities for in-house legal departments. For instance, the site’s massive talent pool is essential for recruitment. In addition, GCs can use their blogging platform, Pulse, to demonstrate their expertise to those outside the company, as well to prove to the C-Suite the value of the legal department in budget allocation. For GCs who are not on the site already, the time is now to set up a LinkedIn profile, complete with a photo, and begin taking advantage of its potential for both recruitment and reputation-enhancement purposes.

2. ELM Software Streamlines Legal Operations, Especially E-Billing

Electronic Legal Management (ELM) software is a no-brainer for general counsel seeking to free up space within a budget. ELM adoption overall is expected to increase by 20 percent by 2020, but even then that will only account for half of in-house legal departments. Do not be among those late-adopting GCs who will only start considering these solutions in 2021. At the very least, waste no time looking into e-billing software that automates invoicing. Some e-billing services that can help get you started are SimpleLegal and Serengeti Law.

3. Analytics Are Crucial for Keeping Employees Engaged

Within a legal department, work can sometimes feel tedious and slow. Working solely to fix problems and provide brief counsel can leave you with an excess of idle time, leading to boredom among staff and, in a sense, reverse burnout. Interestingly, integrating data analysis into the work of employees can help keep them engaged by expanding their perspectives past the company.

A recent survey by the Coalition of Technology Resources for Lawyers found that seventy-one percent of legal departments expect spending on analytics to either increase or stay the same, but this was specifically for e-discovery. Analytics provide so many more interesting opportunities for law departments to survey the legal industry as a whole, such as using predictive analytics for behavior of particular judges, types of plaintiffs and competitors. Implementing analytics in these creative ways can energize the legal department when work begins to get dull.

4. Collaboration Tools Are Now Indispensible for Profit

The benefits of collaboration for lawyers are well documented. Harvard Law Scholar Heidi Gartner found that among some major international law firms, those execs who work with more people to service a client either hold profitability steady or increase it over time. Meanwhile, a recent Raconteur survey of C-Suite executives found that 73 percent believe their organization would be more successful if their employees were able to work in more collaborative and flexible ways.

Technology has the power to enhance collaboration among legal colleagues. The obvious technology for facilitating workplace collaboration is phone conferencing using tools like UberConference. However, there is increasing potential for social enterprise tools in the workplace. According to a McKinsey survey, 72 percent of executives expect their organization’s investment in social tools will increase. As a GC, you may not see investing in such services as an urgent need, but given the research on the relationship between collaboration and profit, neglecting tools that can enhance collaboration is like leaving money on the table.

Bottom Line

Like all other industries, technology is continually transforming the legal profession. As such, today’s general counsel have the unique opportunity of serving as the visionary for their organizations and keep their departments relevant, efficient and capable of delivering real value. As new technology continues to evolve, there are certain basic technologies that have already become “musts” for general counsel. By ensuring a solid LinkedIn presence and by implementing ELM software, analytics and collaboration tools, GCs will establish a solid tech foundation for their departments today that will benefit them in the future as well.

Buchalter Nemer was recently named as one of the 2016 Best Places to Work in Orange County. This county-wide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Orange County, benefiting the county’s economy, its workforce and businesses, the firm said in a release.

“We’ve experienced prolific growth in our Orange County office having quadrupled in size in the last decade—and this recognition is a testament to our strategic, smart lawyers who not only efficiently meet our client’s demands, but who also create a work environment that is collaborative, welcoming and enjoyable for all,” said Adam Bass, President and Chief Executive Officer of Buchalter Nemer. “I’m pleased to accept the honor on behalf of the firm and thank the Orange County Business Journal for their consideration.”

Buchalter Nemer entered a two-part selection process to be considered for the award, which included an evaluation of the firm’s workplace policies, practices and demographics and an employee survey, which was worth approximately 75 percent of the total evaluation. The awards program was created in 2009 and is a project of the Orange County Business Journal and Best Companies Group.

The ranking of the winning organizations was released in a special section of the Orange County Business Journal’s July 25 issue.

Practical Law will present a complimentary webinar on the use of Practice Point to incorporating new technologies into legal practices.

The 75-minute event will be Wednesday, August 3, at 1 p.m. EDT.

The discussion will cover three projects: an executive employment agreement, the creation of leave policies, and independent contractor classification, with explanation on how in-house practitioners can leverage Thomson Reuters.

Presenters:

Kate Bally, Co-Director, Practical Law Labor and Employment Service
Kate Bally joined Practical Law from Littler Mendelson P.C., where she worked as an associate in the employment group. Previously she was also an associate at Day Pitney LLP and a law clerk to the Honorable Stefan R. Underhill. Kate is Co-Director of Practical Law’s Labor & Employment Service.

Craig Vaughn, Strategy Manager, Practical Law
Craig Vaughn joined Practical Law in 2010, where he was one of the first Trainers and Account Managers to roll out the offering to the US market. Craig is now the Strategy Manager for Know-How and helps firms and companies best use Practical Law and Practice Point.

This program has been approved for CLE credit in AK, AZ, AR, CO, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NY, NJ, NV, ND, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, UT, VT, WV, WI and WY.

Register for the webinar.