Back in the early years of law firm tech — say, a decade ago — there were two main tasks for the IT staff: Get lawyers to use the stuff; and make sure nothing blew up too badly when they did. Talk about the good old days.
By now, lawyers haven’t just embraced technology, they’ve married it, and while that gives them the potential — often realized — to work more efficiently (not to mention more nights, sick days and vacations) than ever before, it also presents a host of new challenges. It’s no longer urgent questions about how to open an electronic file that’s keeping IT directors up at night. It’s urgent questions about how — and sometimes whether — firms should be leveraging new technologies to give attorneys better, faster and ultimately (so it’s hoped) more profitable ways to work.
