Law Firm CIO / CTO Forum: Big Forum in the Big City

10
Feb
2014

Geoff Zodda

Snow and ice have been blanketing most of the Eastern U.S. with regularity over the last 2 months, and the first week of February saw no reprieve. Despite significant flight cancellations and adjusted travel itineraries, many of the legal industry's top CIOs and Directors trekked to the annual CIO Forum, hosted by American Lawyer Media (ALM) at the Midtown Hilton Hotel in NYC. 

The CIO Forum is a yearly kickoff event geared towards unveiling happenings within the Legal IT industry, where hot-button topics, trending technologies, and much more are discussed through panel and round table discussions. Thought leaders and innovators alike have the opportunity to give unique perspectives on the state of the industry. Well-regarded as an inclusive assembly, this year's Forum welcomed participants from law firms as large as 3000 attorneys to small firms that have just a couple, as well as individuals with 30+ years of experience to those just starting out in the industry. A select group of the industry's top-tier solutions providers were also present, providing niche insights into the technologies that keep the industry evolving and help law firms run their businesses. 

The ALM hand-picked speakers based on the strength of their individual subject matter expertise and depth of experience dealing with these topics in their day-to-day leadership roles. The sessions themselves were very educational, during which the panelists offered the audience very specific insights into topics ranging from Mobile Strategy for Law Firms to Strategic Business Intake. 

The atmosphere was extremely cordial and comfortable; bringing together many professionals whose firms have spent years battling over clientele, matters, and even some who have been on opposite sides during trial. One could easily see the commonality between these individuals in trying to overcome some of the same organizational challenges, leveraging similar methodologies and implementing new strategies, and, most obviously, how discussing technologies helped to forge long-lasting relationships and mutual respect among industry peers.

Many topics were discussed during the Forum, but the major focal point of conversation this year revolved around Information Governance and Information Security. Information Governance, or "IG", has risen to the forefront of discussions amongst law firm leadership. Firms have made it essential that the organization go through certain processes and protocols with information utilized in applications. Protecting the data and developing governance strategy has become essential, and it will clearly continue to be of vital importance for law firms. Any significant data breach that occurs at a law firm could be a major scar for the organization moving forward, and the push towards mitigating these risks are already in full swing. Many of these firms have banking, pharma, and other large corporate clients, which is driving new Information Security programs and policies, and is the number one point of emphasis this year. 

The legal industry is as competitive as ever, especially as firms are vying for new business and trying to hold onto current clients. As a result, it seems IT organizations within these firms are shifting to a more client-centric approach. In other words, firms' ability to adapt their technologies to fit the needs of the individual client is crucial to staying ahead. In particular, the panelists noted that file sharing is an everyday practice, and the types of technologies utilized to do so are more in the clients' hands than ever before. There are various tools which firms can employ to monitor documents and secure intranet sites to pass along information, but not all technologies work for all corporations. For example, one client may be comfortable with the firm utilizing DropBox to pass along information, while that technology may not adhere to another firm's policies. However, it seems Firms have become more proactive to identify and understand clients' expectations regarding the information delivery of these services, and then create effective solutions that feel customized for each respective client.

For all of those that made it to NYC for this two-day event hoping to gain perspectives from top experts in the industry and exchange ideas on technology strategy, they were certainly not disappointed. A summit that offers a high-level of topical discussion, the expertise of a dynamic, respected panel of Legal IT leaders, and an opportunity to openly network with peers in the industry, is one that does come around often. Maybe just once a year!