In-House Counsel

A partner in a law department who consults on e-discovery. Ralph C. Losey, Co-Chair, e-Discovery Group, at Akerman Senterfitt, wrote to me about his involvement in e-discovery. He handles e-discovery issues in litigation too, but prefers the services he provides clients to help them preparedness for discovery. For more information, see his blog. Losey?s book on e-discovery will be the feature work on the subject by the ABA for 2008.

Innovation in law firm services to law departments. A wonderful article in Cal. Mgt. Rev., Vol. 50, Fall 2007 at 174, pours out ideas for how law departments can look at changing their own practices ? innovation ? and the practices at their law firms. The authors contrast product innovation with services innovation and do so with examples drawn from investment banking. They describe four components of an innovative culture and then discuss the relationship between culture and innovation and some of the practices associated with a service innovation culture (See my post of Dec. 17, 2007 for more on this article.).

Save money and clean the air with power management software on your computers. The EPA estimates that power management on desktop computers saves $25 to $75 of electricity costs per computer per year. This corresponds to an annual reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 45 to 135 kg per system. Every law department could cut its client?s bill and reduce its carbon footprint (See my posts of April 27, 2007 on energy-saving ideas; June 14, 2007 on the waste of energy; and Dec. 26, 2007 on lights.).