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Spring 2024 Mattern Matters
- Support Team
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- May 14, 2024
- 3 min read
Editorial
Hello, my name is Rob Mattern and I am the Founder and President of Mattern. In this spring issue of Mattern Matters, we decided to focus on operational excellence, from data to people. Everyone knows you need great people to run your operation, but you also need great data, where “great” is defined as “accurate, applicable and actionable.”
Many organizations collect data for the purpose of collecting data. For instance, it may be nice to know how many keystrokes or clicks your administrative or office services are completing, but unless this data is tied to service levels and include actionable recommendations on workflow and headcount, it’s value is greatly diminished.
Make sure your firm or your outsourcing provider is collecting data that is accurate and applicable to your operation and that can be used to generate actionable tasks that can improve efficiencies.
Great people + great data = great results.
The State of Information Governance and The Disconnect Between Policy and RealityThis article appeared in Legaltech News
Law firms are playing a game of catch up as the sheer volume of data, both in hard copy and electronic form, they routinely handle continues to skyrocket exponentially. To further complicate matters, most of this data is sensitive and/or confidential, driving the emergence of firms adopting robust Information Governance (IG) policies/strategies. Chief Legal Officers rank key components of a comprehensive IG program, such as cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, and data privacy as the most important issues they face year over year, according to the 2023 ACC CLO Survey.
IG programs are designed for the protection, management, security, and availability of a firm’s information, in an environment fostering compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, while simultaneously improving the firm’s overall efficiency and productivity. At the core of all IG is the desire to maximize the value derived from data, while mitigating the risks, and roadblocks to compliance, maintaining it presents.
An effective IG policies and procedures framework guides employees on appropriate data use, where information should be stored, and how and when information should be disposed of (returned to client, destroyed, or converted to vital record status). IG programs further help with regulatory and outside counsel guideline compliance (OCG), operational efficiency, and reducing discovery costs.
Navigating Outsourced Document Processing in Law Firms
Over the past two decades, outsourcing document processing departments has been normalized for law firms looking to reduce costs by minimizing administrative overhead. The concept makes sense but it’s not without its challenges. Things may start off smoothly, but before you know it, the plan can go sideways, and the promised subject-matter expertise and cost savings becomes a myth.
Mattern Leads Am Law 200 Firm Through Administrative Services Restructure
An Am Law 200 firm, with over 300 attorneys across multiple offices in the continental US, sought out Mattern’s expertise to assess the efficiency of their administrative support structure and devise a strategic plan for its future. The firm faced challenges such as high secretary-to-attorney ratios, inconsistent processes across offices, limited centralized resources, and scant administrative support in smaller offices. Each office operated somewhat independently, despite the firm’s adoption of hybrid work arrangements for both attorneys and administrative staff. This prompted a pressing need to revamp their administrative framework to better serve their legal team. Although the firm had initiated some measures to manage the effects of a dispersed workforce, they enlisted Mattern to conduct an all-encompassing review of their administrative support and propose improvements to better assist their attorneys.
The Transformative Impact of AI on Law Firms Podcast
The landscape of AI adoption is diverse, with attitudes ranging from cautious exploration to enthusiastic embrace. Many firms, about 74%, are in the early stages of discussing and exploring AI, reflecting a dynamic perspective shift.
In our recent Mattern Live Coffee Break, we talked about the transformative impact of AI on law firms. With industry experts, we explored adoption trends, ethical considerations, and practical implementation strategies. In the recent episode of the Mattern Podcast Talk, Cory Riner, a consultant at Mattern, delves deeper into this discussion. We invite you to tune in and join the conversation!
