INSIGHT 2006 - Seminar
Time(s)08:45 a.m. - 06:30 p.m.
LocationThe Dorchester Hotel, London
INSIGHT 2006
26 APRIL, 2006 LONDON
THE DORCHESTER HOTEL
INVITING PARTICIPATION
INSTILLING KNOWLEDGE
INSPIRING IDEAS
OUR EVENT SPONSORS
ADERANT, Dataflight Software, Hummingbird, Interwoven, LDM, Microsoft, nQueue, Thomson Elite, Tikit and Visualfiles.
AGENDA
9:15 - 10:15 Does IT Matter? Examining the Controversial Thesis Proposed in Nicholas G. Carr’s Book
A Panel Discussion Moderated by Chris White of Ashurst
In his controversial book, Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage, Nicholas G. Carr presents his thought-provoking thesis regarding the trend toward commodity status by the ubiquitous IT infrastructure, much like electricity in an earlier era. He proposes that IT "is no longer a source of advantage at the firm level - it doesn't enable individual companies to distinguish themselves in a meaningful way from their competitors. Essential to competitiveness but inconsequential to strategic advantage: that's why IT is best viewed (and managed) as a commodity." Our esteemed panelists provide their views on Mr. Carr's observations, and they invite audience input.
SPEAKERS:
JANET DAY of Berwin Leighton Paisner
MATT KESNER of Fenwick & West LLP
DOUG CADDELL of Foley & Lardner LLP
10:30 - 11:30 Risk Management and Compliance Regulations
Speaker Introduction by Cathy Reilly of Martin, Clearwater and Bell LLP
Recent years have witnessed a significant increase in the regulation of the legal sector, requiring a need for thorough analysis of the risk and compliance issues involved in projects affecting lawyers or the way in which they work. Fully understanding your firm’s and clients’ risk tolerance ensures the firm’s safety and future. And compliance does not solely involve banking and governmental regulations, it also includes regulations internal to a firm (e.g., strict compliance to the firm’s conflicts of interest policy). Our speaker looks at these issues and offers ideas on how to assess where your firm stands and help mitigate potential problems.
SPEAKERS:
SAM SURI of The Working Practice Group
HEATHER MCCALLUM of Allen & Overy LLP
11:45 - 12:45 Enterprise Resource Planning in Law Firms
Speaker Introductions by Sally Gonzalez of Baker Robbins & Company
Companies that produce or distribute goods have for a long time employed enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to track utilisation of key resources and to integrate the business processes and information that drive their operations. ERP systems have helped these companies to operate more effectively, to improve customer service and to strengthen supplier relationships. Many law firms are feeling pressure to improve client service and their own profitability, and progressive firms are beginning to evaluate the use of "non-traditional" management approaches. While lawyers historically have not viewed themselves to be either resources or components of business processes, law firms are undoubtedly process-intensive and there are many opportunities to create competitive advantage through more disciplined and integrated operations. This session will explore the opportunities and challenges that law firms face in applying ERP concepts to their own operations, and some of the tools becoming available to enable integrated operations.
SPEAKERS:
STANLEY WASYLYK of Michael Farrell Group LTD
JOHN GURNETT of Flute Consulting
1:45 - 2:45 Managing a Law Firm in a Global Environment
A Panel Discussion Moderated by Janet Day of Berwin Leighton Paisner
The challenges of managing a law firm have grown beyond geographic boundaries. Many firms are expanding internationally, and managing the technology, business practices and culture of a firm global in scope is daunting. Even if a firm is based in one country, the client base is becoming more international, and many of the same challenges arise. This session will provide insight from those technology and business leaders who have "been there, done that."
SPEAKERS:
PETER LAMB of Torys LLP
SCOTT BRAVI of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
SUE HALL of Baker & McKenzie
3:00 - 4:00 Life Cycle Management
Speaker Introductions by Nigel Blackwood of Wragge & Co LLP
With the extraordinary propagation, proliferation and dispersion of electronic information over the last 10 years, traditional models of information and records management have broken down. A new operational construct (matter-centric design and centralisation), new technology (enterprise search engines) and integrated workflows can help lawyers re-establish their official files and appropriately manage the life cycle of client information. This presentation addresses the opportunities and best practice methodologies afforded by these constructs, technologies and operational procedures.
SPEAKERS:
SALLY GONZALEZ of Baker Robbins & Company
SCOTT BRAVI of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
JEFF ROBERTS of Norton Rose
4:15 - 5:00 SharePoint in Legal
SharePoint's got "buzz" in legal, and this session is presented by an expert from a technology leader in the U.S. law firm market, Fenwick & West. In fact, he literally "wrote the book" on the subject (Creating Client Extranets with SharePoint 2003). This session will examine the strategic goals as well as the nuts and bolts of creating client-facing extranets using SharePoint 2003 in your firm. Fenwick’s portal architect has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share.
SPEAKERS:
MATT KESNER and MARK GEROW of Fenwick & West, LLP