What Is Legal Operations? - Cloc
WHAT IS LEGAL OPERATIONS?Tools, Guides and Templates for the Legal Operations ProfessionalCorporate Legal Operations ConsortiumOctober 201912019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
What is Legal Operations?"Legal Operations" describes a set of business processes, activities, and the professionals that enable legaldepartments to serve their clients more effectively by applying business and technical practices to the delivery oflegal services. Legal Operations provides strategic planning, financial management, project management, andtechnology portfolio investment expertise that allows legal professionals to focus on providing legal advice.Legal Operations is a multidisciplinary profession that includes backgrounds like finance, marketing, data analytics,learning and development, and engineering. These professionals work with leadership to identify strategicinvestments that build capacity for the organization. Their capabilities allow the legal organization to more effectivelymanage risks, monitor compliance, incorporate the right technological tools, and deliver more value to the enterpriseby accelerating the business. A proactive Legal Operations team can anticipate and plan for challenges before theyarrive. That’s where CLOC comes in.CLOC and Legal OperationsCLOC has defined 12 core competencies that every legal operations function should aspire to, aligned with thematurity of the organization. These competencies are a roadmap for investments that create capabilities that servethe organization increases as its sophistication grows. The purpose of these core competencies is to think differentlyabout ways to deliver business impact. Each organization prioritizes investment to advance maturity in specificcompetencies depending on the organizational objectives, opportunities, and resources.The size of an organization does not solelydetermine maturity level. The CLOC MemberCommunity is comprised of legal operations teamsof all sizes in legal organizations of all sizes thatspan the maturity spectrum. Large organizationsmay excel at managing their financials and strugglewith knowledge management, while smallorganizations may be great at forecasting theirstrategic initiatives but have difficulty managingtheir outside counsel program.CLOC Core Competency LegalOperations Reference ModelEach organization defines its success within eachcore competency. Many organizations experiencesimilar challenges on the journey to optimizeefficiency and maximize value. CLOC is a communityof professionals who have navigated resistance tochange, and who are willing to share best practicesfor success.2019 Corporate Legal Operations Consortium, Inc.22019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
The Evolving Role of Legal OperationsHistory of Legal OperationsPre - 19901990 - Mid 2000sFocus on Risk Management Fewer complex issues Serve as manager of OutsideCounsel with limited costpressureMid 2000s - TodayStrategic Insights More complex, regulated,international issues Heavy use of Outside Counsel withsome sensitivity to costsTrusted Business Partner Highly complex issues – both legal andbusiness Strategic use of automation solutionsand legal service providers to driveefficiency and lower costsWhat’s driving the need for Legal Ops?Increase in Service DeliveryMETRICSIdentify areas where impact can bemeasured quantitatively andqualitativelyTopMethods forHandlingIncreasedDemandTECHNOLOGYIncrease the use of technology, likecollaboration tools and businessintelligence solutionsSERVICE DELIVERYImplement new self service tools andprocesses, and training for high volume, lowrisk support like Non- Disclosure AgreementsSTAFFINGOptimize increases/decreases in resources andheadcount to support organizational objectives“Business of Law”Business Velocity Operational excellence to keep upwith the increasing pace of thebusinesses served. Optimizing the underlyingprocesses and building tools to helpscale without additional headcount. Creation of a data driven practicewill provide long term benefits oninvestments.3Cost Pressures Costs for both in-house and OutsideCounsel continue to rise Controlling costs requiressubstantial time on the part of legalmanagement, detracting from timethat could be better spent focusingon providing legal advice2019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations ConsortiumExpertise Legal increasingly relies ontechnology and is focused onprocess improvement andperformance. Supporting this requires specializedexpertise that is typically notresident within lawyers
Why is Legal Operations important?Key OutcomesFocus and magnify legal operations efforts on impactactivities and create metrics that demonstrate the legalfunction’s value to the business.Dedicated resourcing promotes greater visibility andpredictability of legal spending and management offinancial resources.Closer and more productive partnerships with selectedexternal vendors/partners maximize value delivered.Tools aligned with optimal business processes promoteconsistent best processes and capture key data thathelps run the business.Diverse teams bring different capabilities delivering legalsolutions to internal clients that maximize organizationalsuccess and value.Legal professionals focus more on legal work andoperational work shifts to the professionals who canoptimize, scale, accelerate, and elevate those processes.Quantifiable data analytics that provide metrics andmeasurements to improve process and allow for moreinformed decisions.Technology implementations that optimize andaccelerate process and allow client self-service. sourcedResourcesChangeManagementReturn on Investment% of TimeDedicated to LegalOperations Tasks# of HoursDedicated to LegalOps TasksPotential InternalAnnual Cost ImpactLawyersOtherStaff6.0%7.6%3,6004,000 530KMeasuring the value and impact of a Legal Operations team is more thanjust measuring the department’s cost savings. One of the most impactfulbenefits of Legal Operations is the ability to form strong partnershipswith cross functional business units like Finance, IT, and HR, as well astheir heavy involvement in department processes and life cycles.For years, attorneys and legal staff have been tasked with managingnumerous administrative tasks in order to support their clients. Byshifting ownership of operational responsibilities to Legal Operations, anorganization can effectively focus on their key objectives, while theiremployees focus on the tasks most aligned to their experience.Potential reduction in compensation costs for the law department from the work reallocation. Compilation of data from various Legal Work Analysesconducted by HBR Consulting. Legal staff compensation data from the 2018 HBR Law Department Survey. Hours based on median department size of 30Lawyers and 26 Other Staff.42019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
CLOC CORE COMPETENCIES52019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
What is Operational Excellence?OverviewOperational excellence is defined as a value and opportunity discipline to drive tactical and operational objectives for anorganization. Too often, this is mistaken for strategy, but it important to understand how both of these work together todrive efficiency and performance. In order to increase productivity and profitability, organizations should be continuouslyevaluating processes and uncovering opportunities to streamline to deliver value that meet their client’s needs. Discoveringa client’s need is beyond gathering data, it is about turning data to insights then translating those insights into impactfulstrategies.Due to the complexity of law, business, and technology in recent years, there is a growing demand to modernize the waythat the legal industry works. For business to remain successful, they must think of their strategic position and how they aregoing to do things differently moving forward. In order to do so, they must invest resources to hire experiencedprofessionals to improve operations through process improvement, cross functional relationships, change management,and project management to manage and evolve different functions of their business.These operations team become trusted advisors and improve work culture, teamwork, procedures, tools, and technology,by assimilating, attaining and extending practice to align the entire department as a cohesive entity and achieve operationalexcellence.Levels of ANIZATIONAL MATURITY6Operation excellence is measured by two characteristics,organizational and functional maturity. The modeldemonstrates that an organization will typically graduallygrow in maturity over a long period of time, as long as theyeffectively invest and manage their resources (people,processes, technology).Long term success will depend on numerous factors includingability to navigate change, having reliable resources, andcoherency between resources.AdvancedComFUNCTIONAL MATURITYAdditional Resources2019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations ConsortiumThe CLOC Core Competencies measure organizationalmaturity by resources, scope, and experience level of teamleading specific functions. Given that each competency hasdifferent levels of complexity, CLOC strongly encouragesorganizations to determine their maturity in each area offocus.
CLOC Core Competencies: FoundationalCore areas of focus for all operations functionsWhat it is?Why it Matters?FinancialManagementManage the departmental budget. Track accruals and forecasting. Workwith Finance to identify spending trends, potential cost savings andefficiency opportunities.Drive financial rigor across thedepartment and help legal truly“operate like a business”.VendorManagementCreate a vendor management program to insure quality outside counselsupport at the right rates and under optimal fee arrangements. Holdregular business reviews. Negotiate fee agreements. Drive governance ofbilling guidelines.Create cost savings through moreeffective use of external vendors andreduce risk to the organization bycreating tighter partnerships with aselect group of numbers.Cross-functionalAlignmentCreate and drive relationships with other key company functions, such asHR, IT, Finance and Workplace Resources. Represent the Legalorganization at CLOC.Maximize leverage of corporateresources and promote the legalfunction as a key part of the fabric ofthe organization.Technology &Process SupportCreate a long-term technology roadmap including tools such ase-billing/matter management, contract management, contentmanagement, IP management, business process management,e-signature, board management, compliance management, legal hold,subsidiary management, etc.Ensure that the legal team has the righttools and processes to most effectivelyperform its work, minimizing manualeffort where possible.These foundational competenciesare core focus areas for alloperations functions. By shifting theresponsibility of these functions, alegal operations team canimmediately carry the logisticalburden that was divided across thedepartment.72019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
CLOC Core Competencies: AdvancedAs the function matures, these areas should beadded to the operations portfolio.What it is?Why it Matters?Service Delivery &Drive departmental efficiency by leveraging the right resources for theAlternative Support right matters, including using managed services, LPOs, and other serviceproviders and technology as appropriate.ModelsEnsure operational efficiency andreduce costs.OrganizationalDesign, Support &ManagementDeliver improved GC Staff and overall team performance by globalizingthe team and creating a culture of growth, development, collaborationand accountability.Preserve legal’s core asset: its people.CommunicationsWork collaboratively across the legal ecosystem to create consistentglobal processes, from on boarding to complex project managementsupport. Publish regular departmental communications, plan and executeAll Hands.Promote a collaborative operatingenvironment that helps the legal teamoperate as a single unit.Data AnalyticsCollect and analyze relevant data from department tools and industrysources, define objectives to provide metrics and dashboards, that driveefficiencies and optimize spend, etc.Gauge performance by providing thenecessary insights into what ishappening within the department andcomparing to the industry.These advanced competencies areadditional areas of ownership forlegal operations as the departmentalfunction continues to mature. Thecore functions more complex andimpactful as the operations team isthe driving force of creating,maintaining, and evolving the legaldepartments capabilities.82019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
CLOC Core Competencies: MatureBest-in-class functions also take responsibilityfor these areasWhat it is?Why it Matters?Litigation Support& IP ManagementSupport e-discovery, legal hold, document review. Provide operationalsupport for Intellectual Property Matters.Drive efficiency and cost savings inareas of significant spend that alsohave a significant, tangible benefit tothe business.KnowledgeManagementEnable efficiencies by creating seamless access to legal & departmentinstitutional knowledge through the organization and centralization ofkey templates, policies, processes, memos, and other learnings.Minimize rework and leverage existingknowledge.InformationGovernance &RecordsManagementCreate a records management program including a record retentionschedule, policies and processes.Mitigate risk to the overall organizationand take leadership in an area that isoften an afterthought.Strategic PlanningCreate a long-term strategy, aligning yearly goals and correspondingmetrics.Ensure alignment between legal andthe broader organization withdemonstrable performance.The mature competencies are thebest-in-class functions, as theyrequire deep understanding of theentire organization’s strategy andobjectives. These functions greatlyimpact processes for variousbusiness units including sales, IT,finance, HR and security.92019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
About CLOC102019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
About CLOCCLOC helps drives the evolution of legal operationsthrough its members, law firm participants andpartners.CLOC Institutes Largest global conference focused for the legal operations professional and legal ecosystem.Brings together legal operations experts and professionals to share best practices, network andcollaborate, educate and inspire.Enables the legal operations professional to stay on top of rapidly evolving trends and technology, allin one place.Thought Leadership Collaborates to help define industry standards across a variety of operational and legal practiceareas.Conducts periodic survey, metrics, and reporting to gauge the “pulse” of the industry.Provides a forum for Members and Law Firms to exchange ideas and best practices for success.Content Development: Tools, Templates & Guides Provides templates to help kick-start a legal operations functionNo need to recreate the wheel. CLOC helps the legal operations practitioner continue to mature andto develop with resources designed by those that have practical experience and expertise.The CLOC Community2,300 Members &Law FirmParticipants114746CountriesStates37% 50B2,600 Fortune 500MembersEstimated MemberOC SpendConferenceAttendees2019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
About CLOCCLOC is a 501(c)6 non-profit professional association. CLOC’s mission is to help legal operations professionalsand other core corporate legal industry players (e.g. tech providers, law firms, LPO’s, law schools, etc.) tooptimize the legal service delivery models needed to support the needs of small, medium and large legaldepartments.Our Five Pillars EducationImprove the Delivery of Legal ServicesIndustry ChangeConnecting the EcosystemNetworkingEarly FormationCLOC evolved from a small group of focused legal operations professionals who frequently met to exchange theiropinions, information, and best practices. These early professionals were eager to share what they had learned, andpracticed, to better understand the role of legal operations, as well as the impact and value demonstrated by this newfunction/role to the organization.In 2016, they recognized the growing demand and need for legal operations education, development, and outreachacross many other corporations and throughout the legal ecosphere. This founding group of professionals responded byforming the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) and organized the first CLOC Institute to meet the demand.Organized in under three months, the event drew over 500 attendees to San Francisco, California. It was clear that amovement had been born.CLOC TodayCLOC continues with its same founding principles. Legal operations best practices only evolve from sharing,collaborating and crowd-sourcing throughout the industry. New practitioners don’t have to start from scratch orreinvent the wheel. CLOC members innovate, take risks and tilt the status quo in order to come up with new ideas,streamline operations, reduce costs and improve departmental ROI.In 2019, CLOC expanded its focus to collaborate more with law firms. Law firm legal operation professionals can nowcollaborate and share ideas with in-house legal operations professionals.CLOC has guided and supported the legal operations profession globally through its 2,000 members, 300 law firmparticipants, board of directors and staff, creating change and advancing the legal operations role across the entire legalecosystem.BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION - JOIN CLOC122019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
Resources for MembersThe resources listed below are available to CLOC members in the CLOC Community.Change Management How to Successfully Navigate Change Management: A Guide for Legal OpsSuccessful Technology Implementations Start with Change ManagementInformation Governance & Record Retention A Records and Information Manager's Guide to Accessing Performance RiskHow Secure Does Your Legal Department Data Need to Be?Knowledge Management Knowledge Management Roadmap TemplateKnowledge Management and the Content Pillar:Playbooks and WebsitesLegal Department Technology Legal IT Budget & RoadmapConnecting Your Legal Ops Technologies For Better ROI: API’s and BeyondLegal Ops 101 Legal Operations: How To Do It and Why It Matters - eBookRight Sizing, Sourcing and Shoring your Legal DepartmentLegal Project Management CLOC Request for Proposal TemplatesLegal Project Management Guide for Legal Departments & StakeholdersMetrics and Reporting Legal Department Dashboard Essentials: Build Your Own DashboardWhat Gets Measured: Legal Ops and Law Firms Aligning and Sharing MetricsOutside Counsel Management How to Build an AFA Program: Best Practices in Design, Implementation, and ManagementLeveraging QBR's to Optimize Law Firm Spend EfficiencyBE PART OF THE DISCUSSION - JOIN CLOC132019 All Rights Reserved Corporate Legal Operations Consortium
legal services. Legal Operations provides strategic planning, financial management, project management, and technology portfolio investment expertise that allows legal professionals to focus on providing legal advice. Legal Operations is a multidisciplinary profession that includes backgrounds like finance, marketing, data analytics,
injury case - may apply for civil legal aid (since this leaflet deals only with civil legal aid, where we refer to "legal aid" we mean "civil legal aid"). Legal aid is financial help from public funds. It helps people who qualify to get legal advice and the help of a solicitor to put their case in court.
There are many legal clinics or legal information centres you can contact to obtain legal information, educational resources or legal referrals. Alberta Central Alberta Community Legal Clinic (Red Deer) Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta Pro Bono Law Alberta Women's Centre Legal Advice Clinic (Calgary)
Legal Advocacy Essentials: a core training for legal advocates Presented by the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2008. This information is not intended as a substitute for legal advice. 1 Legal Advocacy Essentials . A core training for legal advocates . Table of Contents . What is a legal advocate?
the provision of legal advice, managing legal risk and managing the legal supply chain. By doing this well, the team will move towards its vision. Legal Services is made up of 4 teams, each serving different customers with a dedicated legal resource. This is summarised in the figure right. Although Legal Services has customerdistinct, -focussed .
If asking for legal advice, say so, and start new email chain If giving legal advice, say so Involve lawyers (before litigation contemplated) Maintain confidentiality of legal advice documents Limit dissemination of legal advice (need to know; original only) Make internal communications re legal advice factual
Is a CLC the same as Legal Aid? Community legal centres are not the same as Legal Aid. Legal Aid NSW is a government body that provides legal services to people who experience significant disadvantage across NSW. Legal Aid provides assistance for criminal, family and civil law plus domestic and family violence.
legal advice and support across the core legal disciplines. Every operation is different, and each one requires its own unique legal support. As such, commanders and judge advocates will have to work together to task-organize legal support for operations in a way that makes sense and helps accomplish the mission.
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