Technology Management for Law Firms
Whether you’re a large, enterprise law firm or you’re a small boutique firm, there are few things more important than managing your technology well. Good technology management can ensure your data is safe and accessible, staff members can work efficiently, and your technology decisions work out well. But good technology management requires firms to do far more than just “keep things running.” On top of that there are so many emerging technologies to consider, it could take endless hours to keep up with all of them. So what are firms doing today to successfully manage their technology? Well, for most firms, they should be able to lean heavily on their IT consulting firm (if your IT firm can’t help with managing your technology consider hiring a new one). For larger firms who have a dedicated staff, they have more time for analysis and planning, but the components of good technology management are still the same. For the firms I work with I recommend the following:
1. Define what you want your technology to do. Without this, there is no way to determine whether you’re managing your technology well or not.
2. Set an IT budget for the year. This is critical. If you’re a smaller firm without an IT staff, your budget doesn’t have to be down to the penny, but it should include the upcoming projects, maintenance & support for your systems, and an additional percentage for possible emergency situations. For larger firms, it’s much the same, but you will want to include staff costs, as well.
3. Measure. When I ask law firms how they’re measuring the success (or failure) of their IT, they almost always look at me with a blank stare. With technology being absolutely essential for a firm to practice law, it is imperative that the management of that resource be measured.
4. Evaluate. Take a critical look at your measurements, the choices you’ve made on new technologies, projects, and yes, even your IT firm.
If you’re not sure how to actually do these things, don’t worry – I’ll be following up these posts with more specifics on each point above. Ultimately, I can’t stress enough how important managing your IT is. It may even be more important than winning that next big case. Sound crazy? Imagine trying to win that case without your firm’s technology. It may be possible, but it certainly wouldn’t be efficient.
Law Practice Management, Technology Mangement | Joe Ulm | 
November 2, 2008 7:17 pm
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