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w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 4 39 time, energy, and resources needed to implement information governance. "It really depends on the firm's culture, the practice area, and how technologically savvy the lawyers themselves are," says Nickle. "But that is a big challenge to a firm when some want to and others don't because it makes it very difficult to develop consistent policies across the firm." There is no doubt, however, that growing numbers of law firms have taken the plunge but few boast about it, if only because it is largely perceived to provide a competitive edge over its rivals. But because of cultural, finan- cial, and technological impediments, the information governance programs in place at some law firms are not nearly as effective as they should be, says Jaar. He maintains there are "so many lawyers" who refuse to pool their know-how in a document or knowl- edge management system and have no interest in pooling their contacts in a contact relationships management sys- tem because they feel it is their exper- tise and their clients. These law firms have "real good technology that they could leverage a lot more," says Jaar. "So the IT invest- ment has been made but the culture change has not yet happened, and the processes do not support a full infor- mation governance program. So it's been fairly tough for them to move to an information-driven or data-driven organization." The other culprit is the billable- hour model. A number of lawyers are reluctant to use technology to its full extent because it takes time to learn, and time spent absorbing the ins-and- outs of technology are not billable, which in turn means lower productivity and lower revenues. "That prevents law firms from truly engaging in informa- tion governance projects," adds Jaar. He also holds that some law firms that have invested in the technology to support information governance fail to take into consideration that an effec- tive information governance program requires an investment in setting up a structure and education and training. Technology represents about one-third of any investment in information gov- ernance, another third needs to be allo- cated to developing the governance to put in place policies and procedures, and the remaining third should go to chang- ing the culture inside the firm through a communications strategy, and education and training. "Often, they are under the impression that if we buy this piece of software, we're done when, in fact, it's far from true," says Jaar. Yet through it all Jaar is optimistic that law firms will eventually embrace information governance. He shares the view espoused by others that informa- tion governance must be embedded into the firm's business. Or, as Taylor puts it, "We are going to continue to see it on the radar screen, and eventually having good control of your informa- tion will become sort of one of the givens of an organization just like the way organizations manage its finances, its human resources, and its capital assets." MATTER CREDENTIALS TORONTO I BARRIE I HAMILTON I KITCHENER 1-866-685-3311 I www.mcleishorlando.com A Noticeable Difference ™ Proud Member Choosing a personal injury lawyer is one of the most important decisions an injured person will make. Help your client ask the right questions: Is the lawyer? jÒSELECTEDÒBYÒPEERSÒFORÒINCLUSIONÒINÒ"ESTÒ,AWYERSÒINÒ#ANADA jÒRATEDÒÒOUTÒOFÒÒ!6Ò0REEMINENTÒÒ-ARTINDALEÒ(UBBELL jÒSELECTEDÒBYÒPEERSÒFORÒINCLUSIONÒINÒ,EXPERTÒ#ANADAgSÒ,EGALÒ,EXPERTÒ$IRECTORY jÒAÒ$IRECTORÒORÒ0ASTÒ0RESIDENTÒOFÒTHEÒ/NTARIOÒ4RIALÒ,AWYERSÒ!SSOCIATION jÒAÒ#ERTIFIEDÒ3PECIALISTÒINÒ#IVILÒ,ITIGATION ntitled-3 1 14-05-07 4:36 PM

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