Responding to Business Pressures on Legal Departments: The Value of The Uniform Task-Based Management System Code Set

Mark Paog, General Counsel and SVP, Marketing, DataCert, Inc.

Corporate legal departments are facing unprecedented pressure to manage themselves like any other business unit, streamlining costs and improving efficiency. This presents unique challenges to a department that has traditionally spared no expense in defending the company’s interests. A bevy of legal technology solutions has arisen to meet those challenges, but with their implementation comes the secondary challenge of making good use of the data they gather. A process that provides for actionable information from that data is central to being able to manage a legal department strategically and with greater efficiency. This is why the Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS) code set is critical when looking at process improvements. Requiring your law firms to submit invoices containing time tracked using UTBMS codes is not cumbersome given the modern technology in use at the vast majority of firms, and it provides legal departments with detailed information about what type of work is being performed by their firms, not just how much work is being performed. This paper will provide an introduction to UTBMS codes and discuss how the data they provide can be gathered and reported on to enable more strategic legal department management.

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USA Management Industry February 2010 Vol. 3, No. 10, Winter 2010

Mark Paog

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D. Mark Poag, DataCert's General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Marketing, joined the company in 2001 following its acquisition of DigiContract, which he co-founded in 1999 and at which he served as president and CEO. Prior to joining DigiContract, Poag practiced corporate law at Bracewell & Patterson, LLP. Mr. Poag is an active member of many esteemed professional organizations, including the Association of Corporate Counsel, American Bar Association, and the State Bar of Texas. He has been selected by his peers as a Texas Rising Star and, in 2006, the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Houston Business Journal recognized his achievements in the field of corporate law by honoring him as Outstanding Solo Corporate Counsel. At DataCert, Poag works with the President and CEO to evaluate and execute strategic alliances and M&A opportunities. In addition, Poag delivers thought leadership for DataCert in the areas of legal spend, intellectual property, and matter management and oversees the product strategy. Poag's responsibilities also include oversight of transactional work, litigation, and regulatory activity for DataCert and its subsidiaries. Poag earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and graduated cum laude from Tulane University School of Law with a juris doctorate. He graduated magna cum laude from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University where he received his MBA.

DataCert, Inc.

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DataCert is the premier global provider of legal operations management solutions, including legal spend, intellectual property, and matter management software and services. Corporate legal departments trust DataCert solutions to manage, analyze, and optimize their legal operations. In addition, DataCert offers Stack, an expert witness search service, which is designed to reduce the time and money spent locating experts. DataCert has law firm, vendor, and agent connections in more than 150 countries and its customers include 71 Fortune® 500 corporations, 53 Global Fortune® 500 corporations, and 100% of the AmLaw 200. Visit www.datacert.com for more information and follow us on Twitter for real-time updates http://twitter.com/DataCert.

USA Management Industry February 2010 Vol. 3, No. 10, Winter 2010