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TECH SUPPORT The point of sharing M any, possibly most, large and me- dium-sized law firms in Canada have already implemented Mi- crosoft's enterprise collaboration plat- form, SharePoint Server 2007, or they're in the process or seriously considering it. SharePoint is designed for use in any business but it has clearly struck a chord in the legal industry. We talked to Torys LLP, which launched SharePoint a little over a year ago, to find out why, and learn about the challenges involved in implementing it. Elizabeth Ellis, Torys' partner in charge of knowledge management (KM), led the project. She was also involved in implement- ing SharePoint at her previous firm, Goodman and Carr. SharePoint simplifies setting up a firm intra- net, an internal web site running on local servers, and keeping it updated. But it goes much further, allowing firms to inte- grate other applications, including document and financial management, creating a one-stop shop for information. "It's enabling technology that allows a firm to take all its information and knowl- edge resources and pres- ent them in a uniform, organic, and thoughtful way," says Ellis. "And SharePoint is the first technology I've come across that offers the potential to unify all parts of the firm — administration, finance, human resources, marketing, as well as all the legal practice areas — in such a way that all can collaborate within one framework, in one spot." For Torys lawyers, SharePoint becomes the starting point for virtually every activity. When they launch web browser Internet Explorer, it automatically opens to the SharePoint portal page. The page Simplification, unification, and ease of use make SharePoint the choice for law firms. BY GERRY BLACKWELL presents or provides quick access to firm and practice area news, blogs, and e-mail discussion threads, as well as informa- tion specific to each lawyer. Anyone in the firm can create news briefs, which appear almost instantly. This is a big change from the firm's old intranet, which required technical staff to update it. "This is the information we want everybody to see," Ellis says of the front- page content. "It's like a newspaper." The main SharePoint portal page also includes search boxes for the firm tele- phone directory, SharePoint content, and Google. It provides one-click access to the Internet and intra- net information: weather, financial markets, firm pol- icies, emergency response information, building floor plans, etc. Torys is now in the pro- cess of creating customized portals for each practice area and some client teams. These pages will feature the firm-wide resources, but also news and quick access to information specific to the practice — including legal precedents and other often-used documents. From the SharePoint portal page, lawyers can launch applications such as Microsoft Outlook and Word, and they can get direct access to stored www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com M ARCH 2009 23 ENRICO VARRASSO