Economic uncertainty, increased regulatory scrutiny and the rise of Big Data are just a few realities disrupting business as usual. How are innovative corporations managing the legal challenges of a new highly cost-sensitive, minutely examined and digitally connected world? According to Jason Parkman, CEO of Mitratech, the leading provider of Enterprise Legal Management (ELM) solutions, they are turning their legal departments into their organizations’ best-run business units.

In his new White Paper “10 Ways to Transform Your Legal Department,” Parkman provides the blueprint to evolve a legal department from a cost center to a revenue-generating micro-business. Parkman instructs general counsels how to take charge of corporate and legal data through analytics, integrated technology and software, strategic and global thinking, impactful training, and purposeful collaboration among business units. Parkman points out one particular game-changer his company has witnessed recently: Legal departments employing a director of legal operations focused on operational excellence and with an understanding of business, technology and law are achieving increased performance.

Parkman concludes that legal departments function best when lawyers are allowed to practice law rather than become mired in redundant tasks better left to automation.

Download the white paper.

The LexisNexis CounselLink strategic consulting team will present a complimentary webinar on alternative fee arrangement (AFA) implementation.

The webinar will be Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 11 a.m. EST.

The event will cover: Current AFA statistics that show you’re in good company; AFA approaches that deliver win/win results for both legal departments and law firms; and a practical model that minimizes risks and guides you from planning to measuring success.

Kris Satkunas, director of Strategic Consulting, will lead the webinar.

Register for the webinar.

iCONECT has prepared an infographic guide to help in improving document review. The company has made that infographic available for free download.

“2016 budgeting season is here and many firms find themselves disenfranchised from their document review platform of choice, or worse, forced to lock themselves into a long-term commitment for an expensive, unwanted bundle, that doesn’t even qualify as best-in-class,” the company says on its website.

The infographic is designed to help take a document review platform beyond the status quo and choosing the best platform for the job.

Download the infographic.

Christopher M. Schultz has become Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Level 2 Legal Solutions, a leading e-discovery and legal services outsourcing firm. Schultz goes to Level 2 from the AmLaw 50 firm Perkins Coie, where he was the founder and co-chair of the firm’s e-discovery practice.

“I have partnered with Level 2 on the most complex and sensitive of cases over the years and have watched them position themselves right where I want to be  ̶  at the intersection of technology and unparalleled personal attention to clients’ needs,” said Schultz. “There is a new value model quickly emerging in the legal world, and the opportunities are tremendous for Level 2.”

Schultz joins Level 2 after more than 16 years with Perkins Coie. He formed and co-chaired the E-Discovery Services & Strategies legal practice at the firm in 2007 and quickly established himself as one of the first experts in the new world of e-discovery law. A faculty member for The Sedona Conference, the legal sector’s premier forum dedicated to the advancement of e-discovery law and policy, Schultz graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law where he was an editor of the Arizona Law Review.

“Schultz’s extensive relationships range from Fortune 50 corporations to technology startups, having provided advice and expertise on the legal and technical issues surrounding data retention, corporate compliance, document production and the full scope of e-discovery in litigation and investigations,” the company said in a release. “He has also served as a key discovery expert in a number of high-profile intellectual property and employment class-action matters.”

Read more about the move.

When you become a new general counsel, building your peer network is an important step in developing a support system as you prepare to face challenges in your organization, write Ilene Rosh and Kimberly Lerman in Major, Lindsey & Africa’s In Brief blog.

“We recommend that you look for opportunities to network wherever you can find them. There are many associations and trade groups that offer regular events, ranging from annually to monthly.” they write.

The benefits of attending networking events include connecting with key influencers, increasing your visibility, sharing knowledge and advice, and growing your confidence.

Read the article.

Legal technology company Legal Hero has announced the launch of a new general counsel service to provide small businesses and entrepreneurs with access to regular guidance and legal advice.

Through its online portal, Legal Hero GC connects companies with an experienced, vetted attorney to act as an on-demand adviser and partner, giving businesses all the benefits of having an in-house lawyer without the excessive fees commonly associated with hiring an internal or external general counsel, the company said in a release.

“Most small business and entrepreneurs today don’t have the benefit of having in-house lawyers or external law firms on retainer like their larger competitors, but still need expert legal advice they can afford and trust,” the release said. “Legal Hero GC addresses this gap in the marketplace by matching companies with a vetted lawyer and guaranteed pricing to help guide their growing businesses through anything from employment law issues, corporate legal questions, contract and other document review, and whatever other legal support a company may need.”

“As an entrepreneur, I have a lot on my plate. With my Legal Hero GC, legal matters are no longer stressful and a lot of my time is freed up to focus on what matters most – growing my business,” said Daniel Heller, CEO of The Welcoming Committee. “Whether it’s providing advice on employment issues or helping me decipher a contract, I can always rely on my lawyer’s advice and their ability to make the project as seamless and efficient as possible.”

“As we worked with clients to connect them with the right lawyer for their legal projects, we realized there was a real need in the small business community for a general counsel platform that could help in a more on-demand capacity,” said Annie Webber, co-founder & CEO, Legal Hero. “Adding the Legal Hero GC service was a perfect fit for us as we’re constantly looking to find new ways to help small businesses and entrepreneurs get the legal support they need without the excessive costs and contracts associated with traditional law firms.”

The release continues:

Legal Hero GC is offered in three packages from early-stage entrepreneurs who need advice to keep their growth on track, to growing companies in need of regular guidance. By leveraging the online matching technology and the power of the Legal Hero attorney network, Legal Hero GC helps companies find the right attorney for their business needs.

Launched in November 2014, Legal Hero is a legal technology company that matches experienced lawyers to small businesses at significant price savings over traditional law firms.  Unlike other attorney matching services or providers of blank legal forms, Legal Hero brings quality and pricing certainty found through its vetted network of lawyers and transparent pricing of projects.

About Legal Hero

Legal Hero covers businesses’ most common legal needs. Specific projects offered include those involving business formation, employment law, intellectual property, real estate, and immigration. Legal Hero is available nationwide for intellectual property and immigration projects, and is currently available in New York, Massachusetts and Florida for all other projects, with plans to expand into additional states.

The law firm of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC represented SmartStop Self Storage, a public non-traded self storage real estate investment trust (REIT), in its merger with Extra Space, a NYSE listed self storage REIT.

The $1.4 billion transaction includes a sale of approximately $100 million of assets to an affiliated entity.

The Baker Donelson team representing SmartStop included shareholders Richard F. Mattern, Sam Chafetz and Kristine L. Roberts, and associates Marc J. Adesso, Robert C. McCauley Williams and Andrew T. Yonchak, all from the firm’s Memphis office; shareholder Lori B. Metrock and associate Taylor K. Wirth of the firm’s Nashville office; shareholder Thomas J. Mahoney Jr. and of counsel Andrea Bailey Powers of the irm’s Birmingham office; and shareholder Clint Crosby of the firm’s Atlanta office.

Although major organizations rely on contracts to define nearly every aspect of their business, from sales to vendor relationships to liability, sub-par processes are undermining efficiency and efficacy in the general counsel’s office.

A complimentary white paper from Exari discusses survey findings that highlight gaps in risk and revenue insight created by poor contract management practices.

Exari surveyed more than 90 corporate and general counsel to better understand the impact of common contracting trends and pain points on productivity and risk assessment at organizations handling large volumes of contracts. The report lays out these findings, as well as tactics for preventing key contract information from slipping through the cracks, empowering general counsel to take a seat at the executive table during high-stakes events or crises.

Download the white paper.

As legal analytics and benchmarking become an increasingly important tool for the office of the general counsel, Mitratech, a provider of Enterprise Legal Management (ELM) solutions, has announced that Huron Legal’s Sky Analytics solution has qualified as a Certified Legal Analytics Partner.

“Leveraging the power of legal analytics drives tremendous value for legal departments seeking to improve their overall performance,” noted Jason Parkman, Mitratech CEO. “Huron Legal’s Sky Analytics solution offers exceptional insight into legal benchmarking data, and our mutual clients are already realizing the benefits of combining their own internal analytics with benchmarked law firm data. As a long-time partner of Huron Legal, we look forward to deepening our relationship through this program.”

Huron Legal’s Sky Analytics solution provides in-house legal departments with a web-based platform to access on-demand legal spend information and analytics. The platform provides a snapshot of legal matters handled by outside counsel and other vendors as well as access to similar information provided by other participating companies for purposes of benchmarking. The dashboard also offers legal departments key performance indicators and trend metrics which can be flexibly analyzed, including by time frame, practice area and business unit. Huron Legal’s Sky Analytics law firm scorecards measure and benchmark specific activities of law firms and lawyers, including rates, billing practices, staffing and matter efficiency.

“The combination of Mitratech’s ELM platforms with the Sky Analytics solution’s real-time legal benchmarking platform creates powerful visibility and transparency for legal departments,” said Doug Ventola, Huron Legal Managing Director. “Many of Mitratech’s clients were some of the earliest adopters of Sky’s solutions, and we are excited to now bring this partnership to their rapidly growing client base at large.”

Mitratech’s Certified Legal Analytics Partner program certifies analytics providers that offer market-leading solutions, deliver a unique value proposition to legal departments, can be integrated with Mitratech’s award-winning ELM platforms, and that are fully trained on Mitratech products.

ABOUT MITRATECH

Mitratech is the most trusted, market-leading provider of fully-integrated enterprise legal management solutions for global legal departments of all sizes, including more than 25% of the Fortune 500 and more than 240 legal departments. Mitratech’s offerings are used by over 65,000 corporate users and 9,000 of their external partners (including 100% of the Am Law 200) in over 140 countries. These solutions include the TeamConnect and Lawtrac product platforms, both of which offer end-to-end matter management, spend management, e-Billing, legal hold, contracts management, reporting, and compliance solutions. Mitratech clients are able to prove demonstrable value creation for their organization by automating legal workflows, improving business outcomes through actionable data and insight, increasing collaboration with external partners, and reducing overall legal spend.

ABOUT HURON LEGAL

Huron Legal is the premier provider of comprehensive solutions for electronic discovery and litigation management, information governance and compliance, law department management, and legal analytics. Our consultants and technology-enabled services assist law departments of major global corporations and their associated law firms to reduce legal spend, minimize risks, and create efficiencies. Huron Legal is not a law firm; it does not offer, and is not authorized to provide, legal advice or counseling in any jurisdiction.

A complimentary webinar presented by Onit, ADM and Forrester Research will discuss market trends and the new e-billing and legal spend management landscape.

The webinar will be Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 1 p.m. CDT.

This webinar will highlight:
– Why systems of record are not enough to drive operational improvements
– Why traditional Enterprise Legal Management (ELM) systems fall short
– Why e-billing and matter management technology only represent a fraction of a legal department’s needs
– Why process, workflow and collaboration are critical for a legal department to succeed

Speakers:
– David Cambria, Global Director of Operations, Law, Compliance and Government Relations, Archer Daniels Midland Company
– Cheryl McKinnon, Principal Analyst serving Enterprise Architecture, Forrester Research
– Paul Zengilowski, Customer Development Executive, Onit

Register for the webinar.

Morae Legal President and Chief Executive Officer Shahzad Bashir recently sat down for a conversation with Ballard Spahr partner and former DuPont General Counsel Tom Sager. A transcript of their conversation is available for download.

Their far-reaching conversation covered a variety of topics related to the evolution of the law department and how they can better perform to the expectations of today’s corporations. They discuss such issues as the pressure to perform under the scrutiny of measurable quality and efficiency, how to ignite a law department’s business performance, and looking ahead at the future.

The two covered topics including:

• The three reasons general counsel are reluctant to change
• The new pressures law departments face from the c-suite
• Why cost remains the most important metric
• How to collaborate for optimum performance

Read the transcript of the conversation.

The Yerra Solutions Annnual Conference (connecting the dots between strategy, operations and technology) will take place Oct. 29, 2015, at Wax Chandlers Hall, London. This is an exclusive event open to General Counsel, legal COOs and IP Heads to share best practices, network and discuss leading industry trends.

Professor Richard Susskind will present the opening address, title “The Future of the Legal Profession.”

The keynote speaker will be Markus Brinker of Johnson Controls, who will present “Connecting the Dots Between Strategy, Operations and Technology in a Legal Department.”

Register for the conference.

The National Association of Corporate Directors has made available a complimentary article titled “In Practice: How to Think Like an Activist Investor,” a feature in the organization’s NACD Directorship magazine.

“Too often, boards realize too late that the battle for their company has already begun—and they are ill-prepared and outflanked,” NACD says.

This article in the latest issue of NACD Directorship magazine provides directors with recommendations that can help boards to enhance their readiness, protect their reputation, and better represent the interests of their shareholders.

NACD Directorship magazine is an exclusive benefit of NACD membership, but this article is being made available to the public to sample the valuable insights NACD provides to its members.

Download the article.

The National Association of Corporate Directors is offering a complimentary consultation to discuss a customized program for your board designed to help your organization’s board collaborate with management in setting the company’s cyber-risk strategy.

The program concludes with directors and executives agreeing on a clear set of cyber-risk priorities — along with milestones and responsibilities for making them happen.

The program is designed to help:

• provide the board with context around cyber risk
• lead constructive discussions with management
• produce a concrete roadmap for allocating resources to cyber-risk initiatives

Board and C-Suite Cyber-Risk Alignment is an in-boardroom customized program led by active directors with experience in the appropriate industry. It covers such topics as

• identifying vulnerabilities and ranking their importance
• determining which assets must be protected
• challenging flaws in the enterprise risk map
• understanding materiality and liability related to cyber risk
• defining appropriate cyber-risk and ERM indicators for your dashboard

Prospective participants may call 202-572-2081 or email Steve_Walker@NACDonline.org.

The 8th Annual Law Department Operations (LDO) Survey, now known as the ILDE-Blickstein Group Annual Law Department Operations Survey, in cooperation with Huron Legal, is specifically designed for professionals who manage complex legal department operations for their companies.

The LDO survey was created in 2008 to give legal departments a consistent platform to benchmark themselves and shed light on the emerging profession of law department management. In addition to being the original of its kind, the LDO survey has proven it’s the most respected in the industry over the last eight years.

A survey spokesman said the survey will take less than 20 minutes to fill out and is the only way to get insight into industry trends and a copy of the valuable proprietary results.

The survey covers such topics as:

• Cyber Security
• Metrics and Analytics
• Offshore Legal Process Outsourcing

Last year’s survey supplement is available, with an analysis of results, here.

Take the 2015 survey.

AlixPartners, the global advisory firm, has announced that Kathryn Koorenny has joined the firm as Managing Director and General Counsel. Ms. Koorenny will join the firm’s senior leadership team and be based in AlixPartners’ New York office.

Ms. Koorenny succeeds John Collins, who is stepping down after eight years of service to pursue a career in academia.

Ms. Koorenny joins AlixPartners from American Airlines, where she spent 20 years, most recently as Associate General Counsel, Litigation and Compliance. There, she was responsible for global commercial litigation and corporate compliance.

“Kathryn is an accomplished attorney who brings exceptional experience, passion and energy to her work,” said Fred Crawford, CEO of AlixPartners. “I look forward to working with her and believe she will bring a unique perspective to the senior leadership team. It is a pleasure to welcome her to the firm.”

Ms. Koorenny’s background also includes considerable experience in legal and business ethics leadership, litigation, and mergers and integration on both sides of Chapter 11 bankruptcies. As such, she has a deep understanding of the sensitive situations AlixPartners’ clients often face and a demonstrated track record of providing highly responsive and effective counsel.

“AlixPartners consultants work under extreme pressure to deliver exceptional results – and our legal team works just as hard to support them,” said Kathryn Koorenny, General Counsel of AlixPartners. “I am excited to join the team and will be a passionate advocate for our business, our clients, and our people.”

Prior to joining American Airlines, Ms. Koorenny worked as an attorney in the litigation practice of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she represented secured creditors, lessors, and Chapter 11 debtors.

Ms. Koorenny holds a J.D. from the University of Southern California Law Center and a B.A. from Loma Linda University.

About AlixPartners
AlixPartners is a leading global business advisory firm of results-oriented professionals who specialize in creating value and restoring performance at every stage of the business life cycle. We thrive on our ability to make a difference in high-impact situations and to deliver sustainable, bottom-line results. The firm’s expertise covers a wide range of businesses and industries whether they are healthy, challenged or distressed. Since 1981, we have taken a unique, small-team, action-oriented approach to helping corporate boards and management, law firms, investment banks, and investors to respond to crucial business issues. For more information, visit www.alixpartners.com.

Managing legal documents and transactions across an enterprise of any size is complex and challenging, but the systems supporting the effort don’t have to be, according to a statement from Onit. A new class of Enterprise Legal Management (ELM) solutions, designed for the way people and companies work, is changing the way legal departments manage matters, budgets and processes.

Download this white paper to learn more about why many legal departments are paying for features they don’t need inside products their lawyers don’t use. Find out how smarter technologies are bridging the gap between the promise and reality of ELM systems.

The white paper covers:

• Background on legal systems and the new technology curve
• Driving operational improvements with the right systems
• Using easy-to-use Apps to supplement the capabilities of a current ELM system with advanced automation
• Getting started with Apps to begin a legal operations improvement initiative

Bridgeway Software is making available copies of its first ever, in-house, matter management and e-billing buyers’ guide.

The ebook, vetted by seasoned, in-house professionals, is designed to offer a framework for legal departments to:

• Understand matter management and e-billing systems and their uses/benefits
• Conduct an internal analysis and define requirements
• Develop goals for a software solution, and prepare for adoption
• Evaluate vendors, the functionality of their systems, and the requirements for implementation
• Select a vendor based on the fitness of the solution, the likelihood of a viable, long-term relationship, and key points of differentiation

Download the free guide.

Bridgeway Software Inc. will present a webinar titled “5 Ways Matter Management Can Transform Your Legal Department and Why e-Billing Alone is Not Enough” Wednesday, June 10, at noon CDT.

“From advanced collaboration to improved early case assessment and robust reporting to risk management, global corporations are leveraging the value of matter management beyond e-billing to gain a competitive advantage,” Bridgeway says.

Industry leaders at Mattel, MetLife and Mutual of Omaha will be presenters during this uniquely formatted Bridgeway University webcast, moderated by legal industry analyst Ari Kaplan.

Some of the topics include:

• Where matter management starts and e-billing ends
• The value of broad data and ways to apply metrics to streamline your law department
• How a centralized source of information can unify legal operations to reduce cost and increase efficiency
• Best practices for simplifying the complexities associated with running a modern legal department
• A roadmap for getting started

RSVP for the webinar.

Dickinson Wright will present a webinar titled “Peeling Back the Curtain: Working with Your Legal Department to Optimize Your Relationship With Your Outside Law Firms” on four dates: June 2, 5, 10 and 11.

James Stapleton, Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer at Dickinson Wright, will be the presenter.

On its website, the firm says the pressure between managing external legal costs and efficient execution of your company’s legal tasks while maintaining a successful relationship with your outside law firms can be a challenge.  This webinar will examine the role that purchasing can fulfill to help satisfy your legal needs on an efficient and cost-effective basis.

The discussion will cover:

• The elements of successful RFPs
• Selection of candidate law firms
• Pricing
• Applying decision criteria and balancing workload between law firm and legal department.

Registration:

June 2, 2015 – Noon EST – Click here to register
June 5, 2015 – 1:00 EST – Click here to register
June 10, 2015 – Noon EST – Click here to register
June 11, 2015 – 4:00 P.M. EST – Click here to register