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International Edition

Microsoft finds a low-cost window to battle those pricey pirates

Microsoft doesn't take piracy lightly. Last year the software giant filed dozens of lawsuits against counterfeit software makers. And with few exceptions, they were, like most piracy cases, similar and predictable. That's why piracy cases are ideally suited for alternative fee arrangements with outside counsel, says Microsoft senior attorney Mary Jo Schrade. So about a year ago, Schrade approached lawyers at Seattle-based firm Perkins Coie about handling the company's piracy cases for a flat fee. "We thought this would be a perfect place to start," Schrade says.
3 minute read

International Edition

E-discovery demystified

E-discovery technology will save lawyers time, effort and money, but is it too far out of their comfort zones? Craig Earnshaw and Nick Athanasi reveal how best to work with IT teams to understand the process
8 minute read

International Edition

Eversheds holds off sale of pioneering Tyco support technology

Eversheds has looked at selling its Global Account Management System (GAMS) after discussions with a number of IT providers. The firm has been approached by a number of organisations, including LexisNexis, which was interested in buying the product, which allows clients and lawyers within the firm detailed online access to up-to-date information about work in progress across all relevant jurisdictions.
2 minute read

International Edition

Addleshaws and A&O score top marks in new study highlighting IT best practice at law firms

New Legal Week research identifies best-performing firms for IT with survey of more than 3,500 fee earners
3 minute read

International Edition

Blueprint for success

Law firms have long shunned the kind of process management familiar to contractors in other service industries. But, finds Gina Passarella, the profession is expected to try again
9 minute read

International Edition

Microsoft cuts back legal budget by 15% due to recession

Microsoft's legal department has seen its legal budget cut by 15% over the last 18 months, leading to a 5% reduction in headcount, according to the software giant's general counsel, Brad Smith. Before the cuts, Microsoft's legal department had a $900m (£564m) annual legal budget and 1,050 staff, including 450 lawyers.
2 minute read

International Edition

Body of evidence

There is a popular aphorism that a dyers hand is always stained by the elements he works with. Likewise, it seems that a solicitor's reputation for probity can easily be tainted by basic flaws in the handling of electronic disclosure. The recurring theme in most cases where solicitors have given inadequate e-disclosure is that the defaulting parties prepared poorly and made nominal efforts to agree e-disclosure parameters with the opposition. This unilateral approach contravenes the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) and has been rejected by the courts. The recent spate of rulings on e-disclosure failures has been covered widely by various interest groups, each promoting parochial solutions. What is missing is a recursive framework for early discussions as required by the CPR.
5 minute read

International Edition

Taking the eggs out of one basket

After a series of near disasters and repeated power failures, Monroe Horn explains how moving his firm's IT infrastructure down the street provided the perfect solution
9 minute read

International Edition

Social club

You could hear the collective groan when Twitter made the cover of Time magazine and marketers realised they had to become familiar with yet another online medium. There is Facebook, MySpace, Naymz, Spoke, Plaxo, LinkedIn, Martindale Connected, Legal OnRamp, JD Supra and listservs, to name a few online social networks. It seems overwhelming.
6 minute read

International Edition

Life after the storm

The world after 11 September 2001 and Hurricane Katrina presents challenges to corporate leaders who create plans for disaster recovery and business continuity. Many lessons have been learned about offsite backup systems, system redundancies, and training. Auditors, regulators, and investors increasingly look at a company's ability to weather a crisis as a key benchmark of corporate health.
5 minute read

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Legal Speak is a weekly podcast that makes sense of what’s happening in the legal industry.

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