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Let Litigation Support Take Charge
Every law firm has its own personality and culture, often with people who have been there for 10, 20, or more years. In this sort of environment, instituting a new system can be difficult, if not impossible. However, the current state of the litigation support department in most law firms, if one exists at all, could do with a complete overhaul in order to deal with the various discovery needs and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ('FRCP') changes associated with the average case. Most attorneys have neither the time nor the interest in distinguishing between single versus multi-page .TIFFs; they simply want to start looking at those images. However, seemingly minor considerations can significantly impact cost and speed throughout the entire case lifecycle. Who can take ownership of this type of technical consideration, thereby leaving attorneys and paralegals to the law?
Major issues in litigation support work boil down to work flow and delegating authority. Litigation support manages all the discovery projects, database administration and data analysis work; often, this work is done in an ad-hoc manner, and has no real defined procedures or methodology. That type of 'system' is management by abdication, not delegation. Legal teams and vendors routinely make technical decisions without the involvement of the litigation support department. The results include delays and higher costs for productions as litigation support performs avoidable work, such as modifying vendor deliveries that will not work on firm systems.
Law Firms are Reducing Redundant Real Estate by Bringing Support Services Back to the Office
A trend analysis of the benefits and challenges of bringing back administrative, word processing and billing services to law offices.
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
Bit Parts
Summary Judgment Denied Defendant in Declaratory Action by Producer of To Kill a Mockingbird Broadway Play Seeking Amateur Theatrical Rights
Risks of “Baseball Arbitration” in Resolving Real Estate Disputes
“Baseball arbitration” refers to the process used in Major League Baseball in which if an eligible player's representative and the club ownership cannot reach a compensation agreement through negotiation, each party enters a final submission and during a formal hearing each side — player and management — presents its case and then the designated panel of arbitrators chooses one of the salary bids with no other result being allowed. This method has become increasingly popular even beyond the sport of baseball.
Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel
'Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel is a continuation of the discussion of client expectations and the disconnect that often occurs. And although the outside attorneys should be pursuing how inside-counsel actually think, inside counsel should make an effort to impart this information without waiting to be asked.