Best use of technology

For the firm that has used technology to create competitive advantage. Evidence was required of effective uptake of the technology by employees.

2008 WINNER

Joost Janssen of the Dutch office of PricewaterhouseCooper with Joy Heath Rush of ILTA

The Judges were particularly impressed with the PricewaterhouseCoopers Netherlands SPiN content delivery system. In an age of information overload, PricewaterhouseCoopers was delivering highly specific and targeted news information on a daily basis to 4,000 users in the Netherlands based on their information needs.

This service was not only innovative and effective, but highly popular with the users – evidenced by the fact that it was the 5th most popular feature on the firm’s Intranet. At the same time as increasing user service levels, they had also managed to reduce the number of staff employed in information services, and circumvented the ever-increasingly thorny issue of the copyright restrictions on circulating paper copies of many information sources.

2ND PLACE

A&L Goodbody broke the law firm mould by using a blend of technology and lawyer participation to establish an interactive professional development programme. This program supports experienced fee earners through a partnership with a university’s school of business, while also supporting trainees through events, weekly fee earner talks and a community of trainee blogs.

The technology creatively uses open source course management software which the firm customised and then integrated with the firm’s intranet and video conferencing. This programme has helped to lower the geographic barriers across firm offices, while also allowing the firm to monitor the usage and effectiveness of its developmental resources.

3RD PLACE

Kirkland & Ellis gave firm evidence of the radical improvements in their Web site in terms of navigability, structure and usability. This is partly achieved by an increased “personalisation” of the site, with an emphasis on using their people to demonstrate their services and capabilities. The site integrates with the firm’s internal content management systems and is intelligible on a range of hand-held devices.

The results are a 51% increase in visitor rates, over 20,000 items of content downloaded every month, and a consistent brand image throughout the various parts of the site and with other communication media.

2008 SPONSOR

For nearly three decades, ILTA (International Legal Technology Association) has provided peer-networking and information resources to those who support technology in law firms and law departments worldwide. The non-profit user group is truly peer-powered. For information about ILTA, or to obtain a membership application, visit www.iltanet.org.