Discover Your Firm's Unique Client Value Through the next few questions, we will guide you through discovering the best value hidden within your firm and potential leaks that might prevent you from scaling First name* First Where should we send your result?* How aligned are your firm's processes? (check all the apply) New lawyers and staff are fully functional the day they walk through the door, and properly terminated the moment they leave We have clear onboarding and offboarding procedures. We have documented processes to keep our systems and data secure and running well. We have clear technology standards that are driven by our strategy. Our processes include daily, weekly, and monthly checklists that are followed by our team. How well does your firm implement security? (check all that apply) We’ve also implemented more advanced defenses, such as VPNs, laptop encryption, advanced endpoint protection, and periodic security risk assessments with backup plans. We are able to articulate our security and data handling policies in response to external audits without anxiety. We have a clear, tested disaster recovery plan We have all standard technical defenses in place (and monitored), including a business-level firewall, malware protection, centralized patching, backups, and a spam filter We have a written business continuity plan We have someone (internal or external) who has full ownership of the firm’s security protocol and reports regularly to our Managing Partner and Practice Manager/Director. How well are your lawyers and staff supported in their daily work? (check all that apply) There is a 24/7 helpdesk that we can call or email for help Our computer issues are tracked and visible in a centralized ticketing system All lawyers and staff are treated as “clients” by the IT staff, whose performance is then measured on client satisfaction There are clear targets for what type of support response is expected and when Complex issues can immediately be escalated to higher-level support personnel for a resolution How effective are the implementation of projects? Firm downtime is always minimized to maximize our billing. Follow-up support is scheduled in advance. Firm leadership helps set the example on technology adoption. Each project is planned out well in advance. Every project has specific success criteria that are measured as part of the project review process. We plan clear communications, demonstrations, and training for any new technology or upgrades that will be implemented during the project. Is your technology lifecycle aligned with your firm’s needs? We stay informed about new software that could replace our current software to provide better features. We have a proactive hardware and software refresh cycle that is not dictated by performance issues or by manufacturers ending support. We plan these upgrades into our IT budget cycle. We evaluate each release of our mission-critical software for important features that would enhance our productivity or ability to serve clients. How easily can you scale your firm's operations? We back up our data to the cloud. We can easily add people without adding to our internal infrastructure. All of our line-of-business applications, including document management and time-and-billing, are in the cloud. We have paid attention to the security of our data as it pertains to the cloud, and we have properly vetted all of our cloud’s vendors and partners against those policies. Our firm has accepted the cloud as a core part of its IT strategy. We have very clear policies on what is and is not allowed as far as additional cloud applications. Our lawyers and staff can work from anywhere as if they were in the office. How aligned are technology decisions with the firm's strategy and needs? We collect various options from comparable firms High-figure decisions are made by our Practice Manager/Director, and Managing Partner together We take guidance from outside consultants as appropriate Our Practice Manager/Director recommends solutions to us We have specific, weighted criteria for each important decision as it relates to the overall firm strategy and underlying IT strategy How well do you utilise outside expertise and services? We seek vendor recommendations from comparable firms and make our selection from there. We engage our vendors with deep multi-year relationships based on specific service levels and business outcomes. We have specific selection criteria that are strategic, cultural, and tactical. We manage these relationships at multiple levels within the firm. How deep and effective are your internal communications about technology? Every project that is implemented in the firm has some training associated with it. Internal communications take place by phone, video conference, email, and instant messaging or in collaborative applications. We have a formal Security Awareness Training program. We have a set IT Onboarding Agenda that we follow and present to every new hire. Our Technology Committee is charged with talking about technology initiatives with their respective groups. How is your IT strategy tied to your firm’s business strategy? The IT budget is highly predictable with almost no surprises. Our IT strategy is directly tied to the firm’s business strategy. We account for growth or decline in the firm’s headcount in advance. IT is seen as more than a cost center to be minimized. To what extent do you embrace and encourage innovation? Our IT team is in regular contact with consultants and colleagues at other firms, and members attend conferences to learn about the state of technology for law firms and the innovative improvements they should be planning over the next two to three years. Implementation of new technologies is a regular topic There is a formal mechanism for anyone in the firm to submit technology improvement ideas. How well do you use technology to interact with your clients? Each client has their own document repository, where they can access the documents we have created for them, as well as provide comments and collaborate on any document that we are working on together. We have figured out how to text and instant-message with our clients while preserving the chains of communication as needed for regulatory compliance. We interact with our clients over the phone, by video, and via email.
