The most widely read magazine for Canadian lawyers
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50801
TECH SUPPORT talk about the difference technology has made, and will make, in the case — clearly considerable — but a little reluc- tant to provide details of how the solu- tion is put together and how it's used. "Some of the software we're using and how we're doing things, we see as strate- gic," says Ewanchuk. It's not that the fi rm is using a lot of cutting-edge technology. Most of it, including the main software tools, is familiar enough to IT professionals in big fi rms. Nor did BH&T develop custom software to knit the solution together, or even undertake onerous integration efforts. It's more the extent and intensity of its use of technology, unusual for a mid-size fi rm with an IT team of only seven. "We use as much technology as we possibly can," says Ewanchuk. "And we manage it aggres- sively so that it's available 100 per cent of the time." Adds Kuntz, "We didn't reinvent the wheel. It was just a question of fi nding technological solutions to [the problems of] this massive-scale litigation, and our ability to handle it all in-house — that's been quite signifi cant." Not a lot of fi rms are doing it yet, she says, but they should be. "People are starting to, but there's still a lot of resis- tance within the profession to going fully electronic." In many cases, she concedes, it may not be entirely necessary such as when the volume of paper documents is small enough that it's manageable with- out scanning, OCRing, and using the other tools — or, as is increasingly the case, the documents are already in elec- tronic form. Still, the investment BH&T made in technology and the lessons it learned from using it on the tobacco fi le are pay- ing big dividends throughout the fi rm. Litigation teams working even on small- er cases are now using it, often with help from Kuntz and her colleagues. Gerry Blackwell is a London, Ont.-based freelance writer. He can be reached at gerryblackwell@rogers.com Understand military law and operations from historical and contemporary Canadian perspectives PRACTICE MANAGEMENT & ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE { KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION } { MOBILE READY } { INFORMATION SECURITY } { COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE } Dr. Chris Madsen – Associate Professor, Royal Military College of Canada and Canadian Forces College Updated as the law evolves, Military Law and Operations is the first looseleaf publication to examine Canadian military law and operations, and the legal issues of the soldier from historical and contemporary perspectives. In a single source you can readily access information on defence, armed forces and military law, as well as the legal dimensions of operations. Other important topics include: domestic operations, UN operations, rules of engagement and war crimes. Organized for easy reference, Military Law and Operations includes Appendices containing key statutes, case law summaries and important operational documents as well as comprehensive lists of recent courts martial and appeal cases summarized to provide quick access to charge and sentencing information. Military Law and Operations is an indispensable resource for lawyers, military professionals and academics in Canada and the United States. Order your copy today! www.canadalawbook.ca CL1008 dexco@dexco.com www.dexco.com 980 St-Antoine St. West Suite 203 Montréal, Québec H3C 1A8 Tel.: (514) 393-1400 Fax: (514) 393-1868 1-800-349-7371 Madsen_Military_CL-1-3sq.indd 1 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com OC T OBER 2008 25 9/4/08 10:13:49 AMntitled-12 1 9/9/08 3:13:14 PM