Canadian Lawyer InHouse

27 canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse february 2015 "I tend to not feel comfortable with ed- iting documents on my phone or a tablet," Pollack admits, "but if the right product came out that, I'd consider it." Eclipse's Gower says that while the entire portfolio of tools might not wind up on a smartphone, pieces of it may make sense, like a mobile time recording tool. At the moment, however, Ertl says there's plenty of room to be innovative just on the traditional desktop software side. "We're really focusing on the user experi- ence, to make using our software delightful, which is not a word that you often associate with legal software," he says. That's putting it nicely, according to Gower. Poor design winds up wasting mon- ey in the case of some legal software proj- ects. There's not a lot of room for a steep learning curve anymore. "[Lawyers] are often trying to solve some pretty complex things and have multiple streams of work going on. We have to sim- plify the actual product experience for their staff and their users," he says. "They know if it's not reasonably simple to use, no one will buy into it or use it." Corporate counsel wouldn't mind seeing some different approaches to feature sets in the product either, according to Pollack. "What would be good is a CRM type of product as opposed to time management and billing products that are really more in line with very large law departments or private practice law fi rms," he says. "That could be something that would be helpful, especially if it's geared towards not only practice management but combining it where you have some access to practice ma- terials and substance of law." Helping to justify the investment and establishing the best return on investment metrics could be seen as a feature in itself, O'Reilly suggested. "What you're looking at, really, is how does your organization expect to utilize the software, how much front-loading is involved and what does it take to hit the ground running?" he says. "What are those essential KPIs for the software itself? What are the outcomes you're expecting to receive in getting the reports your need and track- ing progress?" Here's one way to think about those ques- tions. The right software should not only help boost productivity or ease workfl ow. It should also aim to help justify the value the legal department brings to an organization. Reporting on the outcome of litigation, proactive steps in-house counsel has taken to avoid a problem or reducing the time and effort that would have been required from other departments to take on a task are all ways to get at that story. "It gives that extra validity, where we're not just a cost centre but a true resource and contributing just as much as other business units are," O'Reilly says. Contractual.ly's Ertl agrees. "These are people who often get asked to do stuff at the last minute. It'll be 4 p.m. on a Friday af- ternoon and someone's asking, 'Can we get a contract done?' Counsel is pulling their hair out," he says. "[The software] should be about enabling in-house counsel to better serve other parts of the organization, and showing they're bringing value to the whole organization." IH The Canadian Lawyer InHouse 2015 Innovatio Awards is the pre-eminent award program recognizing innovation by members of the in-house bar within the Canadian legal market. The second annual awards celebrate in-house counsel, both individuals and teams, who have found ways to show leadership by becoming more efficient, innovative and creative in meeting the needs of their organizations. For more information, please contact Jennifer Brown Email: jen.brown@thomsonreuters.com | Phone: 416-649-8867 NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN AND THE SEARCH IS ON FOR CANADA'S MOST INNOVATIVE IN-HOUSE COUNSEL NOMINATE YOURSELF OR YOUR DEPARTMENT IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: • Law department management • Diversity • Best practices in compliance systems • In-house M&A/Dealmakers • Working with external counsel • Litigation management • Risk management • Tomorrow's leader in innovation NOMINATIONS CLOSE FEBRUARY 16, 2015 Nomination forms and more information can be found at: www.innovatio-awards.com

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