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

February 2010

Abstract

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.

Author

Mark Poag

General Counsel, DataCert, Inc., USA

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. In this capacity, he was entrusted with high-level responsibilities, including raising equity funding, recruiting employees, and directing business development efforts. Prior to joining DigiContract, Poag practiced corporate law at Bracewell & Patterson, LLP. Poag now leverages his legal and business expertise to provide Datacert strategic guidance about the legal technology industry. 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 evaluates and executes 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. 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. 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.

Company

DataCert, Inc.

DataCert offers best-of-breed legal spend, IP, and matter management solutions. Our customer base includes over 140 of the world's largest and most complex legal departments and a global network of more than 10,200 law firms, agents, and vendors in over 150 countries. Our partnerships with these customers have provided DataCert with unmatched depth of experience and skill at helping corporate legal departments optimize their legal operations on a global scale. DataCert’s management team has been involved in the formation and ongoing operations of the Legal Electronic Data Exchange Standard (LEDES) Oversight Committee, as well as the committee heading up the effort to create the IP-specific UTBMS code set. We are committed to helping corporate legal departments and their law firms leverage technology in a way that improves their effectiveness and is beneficial to health of the companies in which they serve.

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Abstract

Author

Company

DataCert, Inc.

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