Page 33 - CCCA Magazine Fall 2018

{ LEgAL iNNovAtioN }

liVing on the leAding edge:

Clients’ needs meAn embrACing teChnologiCAl ChAnge

By Vanessa Vidas

“Information technology and business are becoming inextricably dition, we are able to leverage resources
interwoven. I don't think anybody can talk meaningfully about from our frm-wide operating platform
when necessary, giving the new business
one without the talking about the other.” – Bill Gates lines considerable fexibility.
Business lines currently supported in-
clude MT>OnDemand: access to fexible
he impact of emerging technolo- also a driving force behind the increas- legal resources to support clients’ in-house
gies, both innovative and disruptive ing importance and rapid-fre advances needs; and MT>3 (formerly Wortzmans;
tin nature, and the evolving needs of the business of law. acquired in January 2017): e-discovery,
of the business community cannot be To remain competitive and meet cli- information governance and data man-
overestimated. We are living at a time ents’ evolving demands, frms are bring- agement solutions. This fall it will also
when the pace and scale of technologi- ing innovative services to market. For support MT>Iplus: an immigration le-
cal change is unprecedented. instance, McCarthy Tétrault focused on gal advisory business; and MT>Play:
These advancements and client needs creating a faster approach that allowed advisory, strategic, technical and opera-
are driving the development of new prod- us to bypass potentially slow decision tional services for the gaming industry.
ucts and services, and new means of de- making and long lead times to get these MT>Iplus, led by Partner Stéphane Duval,
livery. Artifcial intelligence, blockchain, services up and running. We developed a works to support clients with end-to-end
cybersecurity, SaaS and cloud computing, nimble operating platform that worked immigration services, providing strategic
to name a few, have banished static legal alongside frm infrastructure to provide advice on the intricacies of Canadian im-
business practices. The resulting shifts are new processes, systems and technology. migration law. MT>Play will be led by one
both cultural and organizational for all Thus, our new operating system, an agile of Canada’s most highly regarded gaming
companies, including legal service pro- cloud-based platform, was developed to practitioners, Ilkim Hincer, who recently
viders, as innovative offerings demand provide central access to the tools needed joined McCarthy Tétrault. All of the new
behavioural change. to support new business offerings, under service lines leverage technology to great
A 2017 survey of more than 200 in- our MT>Division. beneft for all stakeholders.
house counsel conducted by Thomson The new cloud-based environment As adopting innovative business prac-
Reuters found legal technology is now allows users of each new business line tices for the legal community is certainly
moving up on the agenda. Innovative to login whenever and from wherever the way forward, the community itself
service delivery through technology was they’re working (often remotely) to access must move beyond its self-consciousness
ranked as a more important factor in all the tools they need to do their job in in embracing it. It is essential all lawyers
choosing a law frm supplier than other one secure place. Tools available include are deeply involved in the evolution of
elements such as personal relationships. Offce 365, Skype, Sharepoint, Click Time relevant technology and innovative so-
The majority of legal service provid- (time entry), Basecamp (collaborative lutions as they continue to develop and
ers have clearly anticipated this trend: project management) and SalesForce.com transform the business of law. See the
in the Lawyer UK 200 Business Services (client relationship management). disruption for what it is: an ever-fowing
2016 report, 84% of law frms placed Its most innovative features are its source of new opportunities and a chance
investment in IT higher on the strategic cost-effectiveness and scalability, which to problem solve in new ways. ❚
agenda than in the previous year and will continue to meet the frm’s needs as
66% increased their budget for IT invest- new business lines emerge. Security pro-
ment. It’s clear technological change is tocols are consistent across the frm and Vanessa Vidas is Senior Director of Strategic Initia-
tives at McCarthy Tétrault.
not only affecting the practice of law but adhere to our clients’ requirements. In ad-

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