MANAGEMENT By donalee Moulton Legal triage More work done inside means new workflow strategies
In an era of increased regulation, economic chaos, and business downsizing, legal departments across Canada are struggle to manage their workflow more ef- ficiently, and still meet expectations. It can be a daunting task but many in-house counsel are successfully juggling demands and still finding time to have a life outside the office. First, there is the successful management of the legal
files routinely flowing across desks. It's no easy task, says Brian Armstrong, execu- tive vice president and general coun- sel with Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ont. "In-house practice is a constant exercise in triage. You never leave the office think- ing that your files are up-to-date." One reason for the emergency mea- sures is lack of control over workload.
"We don't normally own our own workflow," says Charles Gervais, senior legal counsel with Assumption Life in Moncton, N.B. "We receive a lot of requests. We try to address each request efficiently." Addressing those requests starts with deciding what ones
actually need to be addressed. "Workloads are the single big- gest challenge for legal departments. The issue is a lack of capacity to handle more," says Richard Stock, of legal services cosulting firm Catalyst Consulting. "You have to reduce what's com- ing in the door." That involves assessing what is relevant
for the legal department to handle, and what is a priority. "What we try to do is identify what work our internal cli- ents regard as very strategic to their
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