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TECH SUPPORT documents and features of the firm's document management system, Interwoven WorkSite. But the real key to SharePoint's power is the information specific to each law- yer, available by clicking the tabs at the top of the page. It includes financial data (current hours, billings), most recently used documents, and information about matters on which the lawyer is working. The object, Ellis says, is to "present to the lawyer, from the moment he turns on his computer, everything he needs in the course of the day to do his job." The only technology SharePoint actu- ally replaces at Torys is an old HTML- based intranet. One key improvement: easier and faster updating. Keeping the intranet current is a major prior- ity for Ellis's KM group, and something that was previously difficult to manage because of the technical skills needed On April 20 and 21, here is why you will not be at your office: to modify pages. It also means Ellis' group can "distribute ownership" of the intranet throughout the firm. "If you want to change something, you can do it yourself now, and it's done five minutes later," she says. "There are all kinds of approval processes that can be put in place, but that's not the way we imple- mented it." The other resources accessible within SharePoint — financial information, documents, applications — are already there in other systems. SharePoint doesn't replicate those resources, it simply points to them. And that, Ellis says, makes it "incredibly efficient and effective." The other key benefit is the ability to put all relevant resources in one place so users don't have to think about where to go to find what they want. They go, or can go, to SharePoint for virtually everything. This is important for a couple of The most important conference in Canada on the impact of IT and their potential for law reasons, says Ellis. While lawyers often had trouble in the past finding enough information to do their jobs, today they're faced with the opposite prob- lem: too much information. SharePoint makes filtering easier so lawyers see more of what they need and less of what they don't. The pace of law practice has also accel- 30 sessions to choose from totalling 40 hours in 2 days based on the following themes: Affordable and flexible participation packages Individual fees ranging from $400 to $667 Group and early registration discounts available erated in recent years, she points out. "We just don't have as much time now. We need to be able to get to the answers more quickly." Despite what Ellis sees as clear-cut ben- Ronald J. Deibert Hundreds of attendees Attractive door prizes Continuing education credits* * efits, it may be difficult to build a hard- dollar case for investing in SharePoint, but that shouldn't be necessary, she argues. "Does the firm do an ROI [return on investment] analysis on other com- parable expenditures, for example in marketing?" she asks rhetorically. "If it doesn't, why do it for this one?" Also, since more and more law firms Register now by visiting: www.legalit.ca 24 M ARCH 2009 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com ntitled-2 1 — and clients — are using SharePoint or something similar, clients have come to expect the level of efficiency it brings. "At some point, it simply becomes a cost of doing business," says Ellis. "Clients expect you to be efficient, so you have to have it in place to satisfy those expecta- tions." The cost? Between $250,000 and $400,000 for large firms, including soft- ware, hardware, and consulting. 2/11/09 9:12:30 AM