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TECH SUPPORT In-house law departments are adopting more of their own Internet-based tools to manage matters and communicate with outside counsel. BY GERRY BLACKWE LL Cause for alarm? Probably not, in fact, possibly the reverse. In the 1990s and early 2000s, many L mid-size and large law firms set up, at some cost, private Internet sites for clients — extranets — where the firm could post work product, messages, and, in some cases, bills. But a recent study from the Association of Corporate Counsel, based on a survey of members, noted that fewer and fewer in-house law departments are content to rely on law firm extranets. Many are already using aw firms appear to have lost the battle for control of the electronic interface with their business clients. and more plan to adopt Internet-based tools of their own to manage matters, communicate with outside counsel, and — oh, yes — enable e-billing. The tools are hosted by vendors such as Serengeti Law, which coincidental- ly conducted the ACC survey, but are under the client's control. More than half of survey participants (51.3 per cent) said they plan to adopt such systems. The percentage still using firm extranets dropped to 8.7 per cent from 10.4 per cent the previous year. "I think it's a fun- damental difference in approach," says Rob Thomas, vice president of strategic development at Serengeti. "The extranet was law-firm centric. Serengeti matter management is client centric. And since the clients are the ones paying the bills, what they want is gaining ground." In other words, change was inevi- table. Law departments with more than one outside firm — probably most mid- size to large companies — would have to use several extranets with different interfaces and features. And while extra- nets streamlined some communications, they offered nothing like a comprehen- sive solution to the problems in-house counsel face. "What they need," says Thomas, "is all their information, all www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com J A NU A R Y 2010 23 extranetsBye-bye ENRICO VARRASSO