Legal Commentary

Last year, Reed Smith was the first firm in the competition's history to receive two juried LTN Awards. Tom Baldwin, chief knowledge officer, was named IT Champion of the Year; the firm won for Most Innovative Use of Technology in a Law Firm for the creation of a Microsoft SharePoint project called ouRSpace, a portal that serves as a central communications hub and data center.

The firm has continued to create "RS" tools, and in "Monitoring the Money," Baldwin describes the development of the ouRSite extranet. It is designed to help clients monitor work in progress, with a particular emphasis on tracking costs, says Baldwin, a longtime member of LTN's Editorial Advisory Board. The extranet supports protocols for project management and alternate fee arrangements.

And it's not too early to consider nominating your organization for this year's law firm and law department LTN Awards. We'll soon have detailed information and nomination forms online.