Evaluating Corporate Legal Department Spending
Corporate legal departments are getting more savvy when it comes to spending their money on legal resources. We recently saw a slide that circulated from a Paul Hastings associate where, among other not-so-pleasant items, it showed that junior associates are billing rates of $850 per hour. The days of corporate legal departments paying these rates for a junior attorney to perform low-value work are no longer a viable option. One of the key practices for managing these concerns is to prioritize the most critical legal issues and focus on implementing technologies that can streamline addressing them most effectively. For example, eDiscovery and contract management are critical areas where technology and redistributed staffing can help to simplify workflows and reduce costs. In IPRO’s recent 2023 State of Law Firm Industry Report, 69% of survey respondents pointed out “increasing client demand for ‘more output with less costs’ as the trend they agreed with the most.”
AllianceBernstein and Integreon Win Gold at Financial Communications Society’s 29th Annual “Star Gala”
Integreon recognized for build strategy of AllianceBernstein corporate website May 9, 2023 –– (NASHVILLE, Tenn. AND FARGO, N.D.) – AllianceBernstein (“AB”), a leading global investment management and research firm, and Integreon, a trusted global provider of creative, business and legal outsourced services, placed first in the 29th Annual Financial Communications Society (FCS) Portfolio Awards in the ‘Business-to-Business Website’ category. Held on May 4 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City, the FCS Annual Portfolio Awards honored 81 financial services organizations. These organizations were judged by a panel of senior marketing executives from industry-leading institutions and agencies for creative excellence in communications. Award categories included business-to-business, consumer retail, corporate image and employee communications. “We are proud of the incredible work Integreon put into helping us build AllianceBernstein’s US Retail Financial Advisor Site,” said AB’s Co-Head of Global Marketing Pinki Mehta. “To be acknowledged by the FCS community is an honor and recognition of the intentional work and collaboration of the entire team. Thank you to Integreon, our longtime partner, for helping us deliver on our vision and brand promise to our clients.” For the website redesign, the objective was to increase focus on both people and solutions as well as empower financial advisors to better support their clients. The project scope included technical and operational enhancements such as the implementation of a Digital Asset Management (DAM) tool which would allow AB’s marketing team to organize, share, distribute and access digital assets, and a responsive web design for proper rendering of the site on all devices. Consideration of web access associated with ADA compliance was also a priority. As a trusted AB partner, Integreon leveraged its expertise in presentation graphics and web services to build, launch and enable ongoing support and efficient site maintenance alongside the AB team. “It was a great evening and an honor to be recognized alongside AB by a panel of marketing and creative leaders,” said Integreon Executive Vice President, Creative and Business Solutions Murray Joslin. “We are fortunate to be aligned with many of the leading Financial Services organizations who trust Integreon’s expertise in creative content in all forms. This project with AB was such a success because of the partnership we have forged with their incredible marketing team. We truly appreciate the trust they have in us to be stewards of their brand.” Founded in 1967, the FCS is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving professional standards in financial marketing communications through a mission of community, education, and philanthropy. About AllianceBernstein AllianceBernstein is a leading global investment management firm that offers high-quality research and diversified investment services to institutional investors, individuals, and private wealth clients in major world markets. As of March 31, 2023, AllianceBernstein had $676 billion in assets under management. Additional information about AB may be found on its website, www.alliancebernstein.com. About Integreon Integreon is the trusted, global provider of creative, business, and legal outsourced services to corporations and law firms seeking to expand their capabilities and transform their performance. The company’s 3,500+ professionals provide expert support across a range of managed services—from creative design, content delivery and administrative support to legal and compliance solutions. With global delivery centers on three continents, Integreon delivers round-the-clock service in 50+ languages and is deeply committed to client success, consistently delivering innovative, tech-enabled solutions that improve agility and efficiency to drive business performance. Integreon is owned by EagleTree Capital, a leading New York-based middle-market private equity firm with over $5 billion of assets under management. For more information about Integreon’s range of services, email [email protected], visit www.integreon.com and follow Integreon at LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Short Messages and Chat Review Fact Sheet
Able to effectively handle the volume and complexity of new data types during review Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, WeChat, Signal, etc. – The adoption and modes of personal and professional communication is growing exponentially resulting in the proliferation of vast amounts of data. For litigators, no longer can these new data types be deemed “unduly burdensome” and put to the side. For review teams, this presents a whole new set of challenges including:
Space Invaders: Lessons Learned from Streamlining Legal Processes
Did you know that the science of personal space has a name? It’s called proxemics, and you can entertain yourself on the web by looking at a host of films showing how people maintain a sense of interpersonal space that is both psychological and cultural. This one from BBC 3 is an example. I was reflecting on personal space recently. In a business context and not because I’m a weirdo. I was thinking about a client – a General Counsel at a large corporation – who was trying to fix various operational challenges in the legal department. Two problems stood out in particular. The troops in the team were complaining that they were: (i) overworked; and (ii) having to handle low-grade tasks. To compound the problem, their lawyers were frustrated to see some of the more interesting and strategically valuable work going to their external law firm – precisely because of the internal bandwidth issue. I was part of a team brought in to look at a range of options to improve the situation, including technology, alternative resourcing models and process optimization. As we started to engage with the department’s team, at all levels in the organization, we found that a number of staff members were highly resistant to the suggestion that some of their work could be better managed through automation systems and lower-cost alternative legal support. They all felt they had too much to do, and not enough capacity to focus on strategic initiatives. But as soon as we got into the weeds of their day-to-day activities, there was always a reason why this particular task or that particular operational duty simply could not be parceled out to a self-service, automated or outsourced solution. I realized that we were dealing with a professional version of proxemics. The set of tasks in question formed part of the individual lawyer’s domain – within their “personal space”, if you like. The idea of disentangling specific activities from the entire domain provoked at least 2 different defense reactions: Either it felt threatening – if this goes then what’s next? Or it was seen to be offering an inferior client service – I’m the go-to advisor for the clients and they need the convenience and reliability of an assigned expert who really knows the business. Scroll forward 18 months. Processes streamlined, low-grade tasks lifted away from tired legal shoulders and strategic initiatives accelerated with new-found departmental bandwidth. Yes, personal professional space had been tampered with. Not invaded, but expanded.
Integreon’s London Graduate Program Provides Next Generation Legal Professionals with Valuable Hands-On Experience and Career Skills
April 17, 2023 – (LONDON) – Integreon, a trusted worldwide provider of tech-enabled legal and business outsourced services, has integrated into its recruiting strategy a robust Graduate Program. The Program, which was developed in late 2022 to coincide with the opening of Integreon’s new London office, recruits graduate-level junior legal professionals offering them substantial experience in a range of alternative legal service provider solutions. Many graduates come from diverse backgrounds, bringing language skills and even legal qualifications from other jurisdictions to Integreon’s global team, further enhancing the Company’s capabilities and corporate culture. The Program works to fast-track participants’ legal careers through hands-on training and exposure to both legal support services and its enabling technology, while also exposing them to a professional environment with highly experienced industry practitioners and thought leaders. Grads are able to expand their skills and deployment opportunities by having the chance to work across Integreon business units. Furthermore, the Program involves outreach to local law institutions such as Queen Mary University London and Nottingham Trent University, with whom Integreon partners for talent pipeline and other initiatives. Most recently, Integreon took part in Nottingham’s Employer Challenge, when Integreon tasked 12 students with researching and presenting their findings on a range of legal document review-related scenarios highlighting the challenges of dealing with electronic documents as evidence in a dispute. “We are thrilled to be able to offer this program and see it as a reflection of our corporate culture,” said Subroto Mukerji, Integreon Chief Executive Officer. “There is tremendous competition in the market to find legal talent that also has technology and process experience. By investing in recent graduates and providing a comprehensive program of formal and on-the-job learning, we are building future Integreon and industry leaders.” Plans are under way to roll out the Integreon Graduate Program in the US, India, and the Philippines where the company has other delivery centers. About Integreon Integreon is the trusted, global provider of creative, business, and legal outsourced services to corporations and law firms seeking to expand their capabilities and transform their performance. The company’s 3,500+ professionals provide expert support across a range of managed services—from creative design, content delivery and administrative support to legal and compliance. With global delivery centers on three continents, Integreon delivers round-the-clock service in 50+ languages and is deeply committed to client success, consistently delivering innovative, tech-enabled solutions that improve agility and efficiency to drive business performance. Integreon is owned by EagleTree Capital, a leading New York-based middle-market private equity firm with over $5 billion of assets under management. For more information about Integreon’s range of services, email [email protected], visit www.integreon.com and follow Integreon at LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Iconic E-discovery Model is Making Room for New Tech
An e-discovery reference model used by lawyers and business professionals is being updated to account for new technologies, increasing data privacy regulations and heightened cybersecurity risks, marking the most significant changes to be made to the model in nearly 20 years. The 2023 EDRM, which was published in March, was modified to include the latest version of the information governance reference model. The Electronic Discovery Reference Model outlines the different steps in e-discovery and makes it easier for attorneys and business professionals to communicate about where they are in the e-discovery process, according to industry experts. Robert Daniel, senior director of litigation services at legal solutions provider Integreon Inc., recently told Law360 Pulse that the EDRM needs to be updated to address changes in e-discovery that have occurred since the model was first introduced. Daniel, who was formerly senior vice president of legal discovery operations at Bank of America, said some of the changes that need to be addressed in the updated EDRM are new technologies such as messaging apps and video conferencing. “A lot has happened in the world since this was first published and it needs to be refreshed, and some of that content included to be more useful to people that are practitioners and need guidance,” he said. The EDRM was first introduced in 2005 by attorney George Socha and information technology consultant Tom Gelbmann, according to e-discovery organization EDRM, which oversees the model. Mary Mack, CEO and chief legal technologist of EDRM, said that when the e-discovery model was introduced, documents were starting to be stored on discs, instead of being printed out and kept in boxes, and people didn’t have a standardized process for handling the discs. “People were reaching for the vocabulary to describe not only what they were doing, but how what they were doing informed the next step in the process, and what is the process, and how do we handle these documents,” Mack said. In 2016, Duke University School of Law purchased the organization EDRM in a move to expand its involvement in e-discovery and information governance, according to the school’s website. Three years later, Mack and EDRM’s current chief strategy officer Kaylee Walstad bought the organization from Duke Law’s Bolch Judicial Institute, which was formed in 2018, according to an announcement on the deal. The e-discovery model hasn’t undergone significant changes since it was first introduced, according to Mack. Despite the lack of changes to EDRM in nearly 20 years, the model is a helpful tool for teaching students and judges about the e-discovery process. Shannon Bales, automated litigation support manager at Munger Tolles & Olson LLP and professor at UCLA and Santa Ana College, said that the model is helpful for teaching students, associates and judges about the steps in e-discovery. “They may not be aware of the specializations involved in each one of these phases and that they’re all distinct skills,” Bales said. The EDRM includes, from left to right, identification, preservation, collection, processing, review, analysis, production and presentation, according to the model. The 2023 EDRM, which was published in March, was modified to include the latest version of the information governance reference model, Mack said. Mack said that even though the EDRM is based on U.S. court rules, the model is used around the world, and one of the changes that needs to be made to the updated model is to make it global. “Before Kaylee and I acquired the EDRM, we went to a conference in Japan … all of the slide decks that the presenters at this international conference started with [were] the EDRM model,” she said. The project to update the e-discovery model, referred to as EDRM 2.0, is currently accepting public comments and volunteers, according to Mack. Mack said that 50 people have volunteered so far to participate in the project and the public comment period runs until the end of 2023. The EDRM is also hosting a symposium in June in Detroit where people will discuss EDRM 2.0 in person. E-discovery and litigation professionals already have many ideas for how the EDRM can be improved. Tara Emory, senior vice president of strategic growth at e-discovery company Redgrave Data, said that she would like EDRM 2.0 to include more detailed information for practitioners about technologies and workflows. “The plan is for the updated guidelines to provide additional context to help attorneys, support staff, service providers, and even judges, better understand all the components that exist today in each phase of the EDRM,” Emory said. Bales added that he would like EDRM 2.0 to have a designated step for early case assessment, which happens between the collection and processing phases of e-discovery. “Now it’s so much part of the routine of what we do in a way to be efficient and pull down data, it’s reached the level that it should be its own phase,” he said. EDRM 2.0 faces some challenges including the global scale of the project and reaching a consensus among different disciplines, according to experts. “Everybody’s got their own perspective of what is required, but yet the group has to come to consensus,” Daniel said, adding that the model has to be usable for both attorneys and business professionals.
Integreon Adds Litigation Services Leader From Spencer Fane
Philip Goodin has been appointed Integreon’s executive vice president, business unit leader of its litigation services effective Monday. He will work remotely from Kansas City, Missouri, the firm said. Goodin’s duties will include leading Integreon’s strategic direction and driving growth, as well as managing document review and subpoena and law enforcement compliance services. Goodin told Law360 Pulse in an interview that the role gave him the opportunity to return to the service space in the exact focus he wanted, which he calls “technology agnostic” services. “In legal, the law firms do the majority of the services,” he said. “You’ve got tech providers developing the technology and providing it, and then in between those two are the service professionals that help leverage the technology effectively in these large scale kind of problems that law firms traditionally aren’t equipped to focus on or provide solutions for. So where I live is in that gap between the technology and the legal problems to be solved.” Goodin added that concentrating on tech-enabled services was very appealing to him. “This will be the first time in my career I can focus exclusively on that without having to take a position on what technology is going to prevail amongst all these different competing options,” he said. Goodin’s more than 20 years in the legal industry includes a combination of law firm and alternative legal services experience. His expertise includes assessing, transforming and delivering effective, efficient and tech-enabled litigation-focused solutions, the company said. From 2001 to 2009, Goodin was an attorney at Spencer Fane, where he led innovation and data analytics initiatives and started strategic partnerships for the firm. He then moved to UnitedLex as the senior vice president of global litigation services. At UnitedLex, Goodin was in charge of developing and overseeing services such as forensics, data processing, hosting, document review, legal operations and strategic account engagement. In addition, he managed all global services in North America, Europe, and India. After nearly 13 years at UnitedLex, he rejoined Spencer Fane in October 2021 to build out their internal alternative legal services provider, or ALSP. Goodin called ALSPs the most disruptive force in the legal industry. “I’m not here to complain about law firms, but they’re just not really equipped to bring that kind of change to the market,” he said. “And alternative service providers can do that because they can take risks that a law firm may not want to take, they can be more creative, and more nimble with staffing, and that kind of stuff. I like attacking problems from different angles. When you’re outside of firms, you can get a little creative and be more aggressive on certain things.” Integreon CEO Subroto Mukerji said in a statement that Goodin was a key hire for the company. “Integreon is known for the quality of our delivery and the depth of subject matter expertise within our teams,” he said. “With the addition of Phil and his experience as both a litigator and a services provider, we continue that tradition of setting the bar in the industry.” Goodin graduated with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law. He is also a part-time adjunct professor of law, teaching legal and litigation operations and eDiscovery at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, the company said.
Integreon Appoints Legal Industry Leader Philip Goodin to Head Litigation Services Unit
Experienced strategist brings broad law firm and alternative legal services provider (ALSP) experience combined with a track-record of eDiscovery innovation on a global scale. April 3, 2023 – (FARGO AND LONDON) – a trusted global provider of legal and business outsourced services, announced today that Philip Goodin has been appointed Executive Vice President, Business Unit Leader – Litigation Services. In this role, Phil will shape the strategic direction, drive growth, and oversee delivery of litigation services including document review and subpoena and law enforcement compliance services. Phil brings to Integreon, his team, and clients a valuable combination of extensive law firm and alternative legal services (ALSP) experience. Assessing, transforming, and delivering effective, efficient, and tech-enabled litigation focused solutions is a hallmark of his more than two decades in the legal industry. Most recently, Phil was the Innovations and eDiscovery counsel for Spencer Fane, LLP where he led multiple innovation and data analytics initiatives, as well as established strategic partnerships and new capabilities for the firm. Prior to joining Spencer Fane, Phil was the SVP of Global Litigation Services at UnitedLex, both developing and overseeing delivery of services that included forensics, data processing, hosting, document review, legal operations, and strategic account engagement. In addition, he was charged with global expansion of document review services and went on to manage all global services throughout North America, Europe, and India. “Integreon is known for the quality of our delivery and the depth of subject matter expertise within our teams,” said Subroto Mukerji Integreon CEO. “With the addition of Phil and his experience as both a litigator and a services provider, we continue that tradition of setting the bar in the industry. I look forward to seeing the continued evolution and growth of these services under Phil’s leadership.” Phil earned his JD from the University of Iowa School of Law, where he graduated with distinction. He is also a part-time adjunct professor of law, legal/litigation operations, and eDiscovery at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. “I have long followed Integreon and its ability to develop long-standing client relationships with their clients,” commented Phil. “As a buyer and seller of outsourced legal services, I know this is only possible when that partnership is built on continuous innovation and trust. I am excited to build from that legacy and deliver the next generation of market-leading litigation services.” About Integreon Integreon is the trusted, global provider of creative, business, and legal outsourced services to corporations and law firms seeking to expand their capabilities and transform their performance. The company’s 3,500+ professionals provide expert support across a range of managed services—from creative design, content delivery and administrative support to legal and compliance. With global delivery centers on three continents, Integreon delivers round-the-clock service in 50+ languages and is deeply committed to client success, consistently delivering innovative, tech-enabled solutions that improve agility and efficiency to drive business performance. Integreon is owned by EagleTree Capital, a leading New York-based middle-market private equity firm with over $5 billion of assets under management.