Page 42 - CCCA 259155 Magazine_Winter 2016

{ STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT }

BE A CHAMPION (OF TECHNOLOGY)

By Catherine Chow

As in-house counsel, the last time to use it from their smartphone). The Increasingly more insurers are adopt-
I had a “genius” implementation numerous benefts became obvious, and ing a new software that reviews legal in-
even the technology laggards began de- voices for inaccurate billing. This can
of technology was by accident. manding smart waivers be used at all em- greatly beneft in-house counsel as well by
It was Lobster Bowl season and ployee events. Waivergate had morphed saving them review time and maintaining
into a backlash against opponents of transparent accountability. In addition,
our Director of Corporate Events change, spurring a cultural shift towards almost as a matter of professional compe-
asked if I had any updates to meaningful progress over static tradition. tence, departments that handle litigation
The valuable lesson I learned was that in- or supervise external litigation lawyers
the waivers. A keystone culture- house counsel could be technology champi- use any number of case management and
building event, the Lobster ons for the whole organization. We use tech- e-discovery programs.
nology resources in two ways: to interact The price of software programs has
Bowl is a multi-day touch
with the wider enterprise and external sup- come down signifcantly in recent years
football tournament with a beer pliers; and to streamline processes within and operate seamlessly within most sys-
garden for our restaurant staff. our own department. Using technology to tems. So you will not have to concurrently
interface with the wider enterprise can really champion both a department and com-
Participants are required to sign beneft in-house counsel, as important legal pany-wide upgrade of Windows, or pester
injury waivers when they register. tasks can be done more effciently and reli- your IT department to get it installed or
ers and participant data. The software “ Sofware solutions have clear benefts of efciency,
ably by non-legal personnel. Online waivers troubleshoot.
t led to me consider how the process
could be improved. I proposed having
Iemployees sign online waivers prior accuracy and the ability to allocate administrative tasks
to the event. Using a web portal, online
to non-legal personnel, making your job a little easier.
waiver software manages signed waiv-

keeps track of who has and has not signed ”
as well as other demographic data that is a good example—we can be sure they are If you are not already, you can reap big
might be useful for event planning, such being signed by all registered participants rewards from implementing under-utilized
as attendance and meal orders. It would (with ID and age verifcation); stored se- technology both within the legal depart-
ensure everyone had read and signed the curely; and updated when tort, employment ment, and when you interface with the
waiver, and save time at registration. and privacy legislation are amended. wider enterprise and suppliers. Software
Using online waivers is not cutting-edge Custom software solutions also help solutions have clear benefts of effciency,
technology. I have personally been sign- streamline the legal department pro- accuracy and the ability to allocate adminis-
ing digital waivers for my sports teams for cesses, such as document management, trative tasks to non-legal personnel, making
years. However, for our company, it would practice management, legal invoicing, your job a little easier. And in some instanc-
be the frst time we did things a little differ- litigation and more. Even among a few es, like Waivergate, in-house counsel can
ently. It would become our “Waivergate.” users, document management software drive important change within the compa-
Initially, there was some resistance. can ensure more consistency when draft- ny with the help of just a little technology. ❚
While many embraced the technology up- ing documents and speed up navigating
grade, some fatly refused: “We have been through various versions being worked on
doing it this way since I took over as man- by multiple legal and enterprise authors. Catherine Chow is Vice-President Legal and General
ager!” and “Why is the legal department Similarly, practice management software Counsel at Keg Restaurants Ltd, where she manages
the legal matters of more than 100 locations across
telling us what to do?” The resistance be- can help monitor limitation periods; debt North America. Her proactive approach to risk manage-
came ferce until the fear of using the soft- retirement deadlines; and renewal notice ment has been recognized as an industry-leading initia-
ware was directly addressed (for example, dates for leases, trademarks, corporate tive, winning both a 2014 Canadian Lawyer In-house
by individually showing late adopters how registrations and contracts. Innovatio Award and a 2014 Lexpert Zenith Award.

42 CCCA MAGAZINE | WINTER 2016 HIVER