Utilizing a Legal Technology Platform for Strategic Legal Department Management

Mark Poag, General Counsel, DataCert, Inc.

The enduring economic strife of the past few years has caused an unprecedented shift in the global legal industry and the technology supporting the industry. Legal service delivery models have been revamped more in the past three years than in the past three decades. The need to consolidate and integrate the abundance of disparate systems has never been greater and cost is a significant driver of this change. In today’s global economy in-house counsel are being challenged to demonstrate the business value of legal services, which involves reducing costs, improving efficiencies, and still remaining competitive. Future success for many lawyers, and the departments they represent, largely depends on their ability to confront today’s challenges and implement new processes that increase efficiency and reduce the impact to the bottom line. These industry changes aren’t temporary trends; rather, they represent a new reality for in-house counsel. Conquering these new and formidable challenges will require progressive strategies and solutions, and savvy in-house counsel recognize that this is most easily achieved by leveraging technology. However, the widespread use of multiple disparate technology systems has caused a lack of visibility across the legal function, and there simply isn’t a practical way to assess risk, measure exposure, collaborate with outside counsel, or even determine where the majority of a department’s budget is being spent and if it is producing results. The crowded landscape stifles strategic legal department management and over time it will hinder success.

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USA Management IT January 2012 Vol. 5, No. 18, Winter 2012

Mark Poag

Mark Poag is the General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Datacert, the premier global provider of enterprise legal management solutions. At Datacert, Poag evaluates and executes strategic alliances and M&A opportunities and delivers thought leadership in the areas of legal spend, intellectual property, and matter management and oversees product strategy. Poag's responsibilities also include oversight of transactional work, litigation, and regulatory activity for Datacert and its subsidiaries. Specifically, Poag establishes and maintains intellectual property protection policies and procedures, is responsible for all contracts with customers, vendors, partners and employees, structures company policy regarding pertinent legal issues (e.g. privacy, intellectual property, etc.) and the maintenance of all corporate records.

DataCert, Inc.

Datacert is a technology innovator and the premier global provider of enterprise legal management software and services that empower law departments to collaborate more effectively, manage legal systems more efficiently, support changing business needs and their global workforces, and make more strategic business decisions. Datacert's offerings include its flagship product, Passport™, a patent-pending technology platform, and legal spend and matter management applications. Datacert solutions are relied upon by Fortune® 500 corporations, Fortune® Global 500 corporations, and 100 percent of the AmLaw 200. Headquartered in Houston, with offices throughout North America, EMEA, and APAC, Datacert has law firm, vendor, and agent connections in more than 150 countries. Visit www.datacert.com for more information and follow us on Twitter for real-time updates http://twitter.com/Datacert.

USA Management IT January 2012 Vol. 5, No. 18, Winter 2012