Using and exploiting new information systems (IS) will continue to dominate the agendas of law firm senior partners and practice managers for the foreseeable future. Convincing colleagues that investments in new technology are necessary, and that they can deliver their promises of substantial benefits, is only one of the many challenges that will face leaders within your organisation.
Looking to the past may conjure painful memories of IS projects, but the future may herald even more testing times. During the 1990s the groundswell in technology investments was focused on point solutions to meet discrete aspects of a firm’s business. Examples include introducing new accounting and time-management systems, improving facilities for document storage and retrieval and implementing case management systems. That trend continues with the use of digital dictation tools and knowledge management systems.
