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CCCA61_039-043.qxd:CCCA_V1No1_DriversSeat-FIN.qxd 02/07/2008 06:16 PM Page 43 Feature Will it work? Time will tell if LOR will be the break- “ through application that brings inside and out- Sometimes we talk about new ventures side counsel together online.“There are many as trends, and then, there’s new ventures reasons to believe it will not,” says MacEwen, who sees two fundamental obstacles. that are simply trendy, but I think First, there’s the “chicken and egg” issue. Legal OnRamp has legs. “Why will the Fortune 500 sign up until Howard Kaufman, Senior Counsel, Fasken Martineau LLP, Toronto they’re assured that a critical mass of truly gold-plated-reputation law firms will be pro- viding serious content, and conversely, why will the law firms go to the trouble and expense of selecting and ” providing content until a large group of potential clients is Exciting experiment onboard?” asks MacEwen. There’s no doubt that LOR is still in its formative stages.“I view it To his way of thinking,“this obstacle is not necessarily fatal; it as an experiment, a developing medium of communication that’s can be finessed through perseverance and incremental successes. well worth exploring,” says David Allgood, executive vice-presi- But it does tend to protract the start-up phase of the venture. It’s dent and general counsel with Royal Bank of Canada inToronto. not for impatient investors.” RBC has posted material on LOR; similarly, Allgood has found Then, there’s the “crown jewels” issue, adds MacEwen. “Why information he’s needed and made some potential business con- would a blue-chip law firm share its truly valuable expertise with nections. “LOR is using push technology, so I check new infor- the world at large? And it will take blue-chip law firms to partic- mation as it comes in,” says Allgood. ipate — corporations cannot, for a second, wonder about the New information, updated information, and faster, more effi- quality of the content they’re looking at.Wouldn’t firms reserve cient ways to obtain information are the hallmarks of today’s that premium content for,at the very least,their own website and, society.LOR may be able to bridge the two solitudes of law firm more realistically,one-on-one’s with existing or potential clients?” and in-house counsel, encouraging them to interact through a The first obstacle is, as noted, not necessarily fatal, says technology that is evolving so quickly it may push members of MacEwen; but he fears the second, grounded as it is in the strong the legal profession, even the most reticent, into the 21st centu- preference of lawyers to safeguard their hard-earned intellectual ry. But there’s still some distance to travel up the onramp yet. property — the only true career security they have — may be insurmountable within any economically feasible time-frame. Bev Cline is the managing editor of CCCA Magazine. en savoir plus sur le champ de pratique le comparant à un échange d’idées entre Ainsi les conseillers juridiques d’en- d’un avocat externe. avocats à l’occasion d’un déjeuner-causerie. treprise peuvent y trouver des informa- L’adhésion est gratuite pour tous les Ce n’est pas la première tentative de tions de nature juridique tout-à-fait ordi- membres, dont le nombre a atteint plus de mettre en place un système de partage naires, alors que les cabinets ont un forum 1900 dans une quarantaine de pays. Il faut d’informations entre les départements pour étaler leur expertise professionnelle. être invité à devenir membre, mais cela juridiques et les cabinets externes. Mais Il n’y a pas de doute que Legal OnRamp pose rarement un problème. Legal OnRamp est le plus ambitieux, par en est toujours à l’étape préliminaire de Par contre, il faut y consacrer un certain sa volonté d’inclure parmi ses membres les son développement, et rien ne garantit son temps, si on veut développer son réseau, avocats issus des cabinets juridiques du succès à long treme.Mais il s’agit d’un pro- fournir des réponses aux questions classement AmLaw 200 et des grandes jet qui offre beaucoup de potentiel. Il suf- affichées en ligne et mettre en valeur son entreprises du Fortune 500. fit que le concept continue d’attirer des profil. « Il faut vouloir partager, explique À la base,LOR est fondé sur le principe avocats prestigieux et que ceux-ci, à leur Me Howard Kaufman de Fasken économique qui veut que les contentieux tour, soient prêts à partager un peu de leur Martineau. Il faut donner de soi pour faire juridiques représentent le volet de la expertise. profiter au système ». demande, et les cabinets externes, le volet Mais il croit que l’exercice vaut la peine, de l’offre d’informations juridiques. –Yves Faguy PRINTEMPS 2008 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association 43