The evolution of IPM has materialized like building layers: every ascending floor is built upon the foundation of lower floors. In its initial iteration, the use of IPM systems and technologies centralized on the entry of data, most of which was docketing information and information regarding the prosecution and enforcement of specific intellectual assets—most especially patents. After widespread adoption, a new phase emerged in which we sought to expose the information to and involve a wider and more diverse audience. The hallmark of this phase was the increased use of reporting and business intelligence, which gave supervisors, legal management, business leaders and other key stakeholders access to important – and timely – data on the status of assets and the performance of the portfolio. This phase of IPM’s growth also emphasized tools for collaboration among corporate teams, law firms, and other parties involved in the IPM lifecycle, for automating routine processes (a measure of both the drive to efficiency and increasing legal cost and rate pressures), and for the capture and management of innovation and assets. To illustrate this new maturity plane in IP Management, we introduce a new term of art to capture this paradigm shift: Intellectual Property Business Management (IPBM). It is no longer sufficient to manage – nee understand – IP from a purely legal perspective, or on an asset-to-asset basis. Organizations today are now keenly interested in the impact of their IP portfolio have on their business, and vice versa. Notably, IPBM is characterized by an increased demand for greater bottom-line visibility, for insight into operations and performance, and for demonstrable improvements in practice management. In essence, the broadening scope of integrated stakeholders and alignment of interdepartmental interests demonstrates a shift in IPM from a prosecution-based lifecycle to a business-integrated lifecycle. Through the lens of IPBM, the role and effect of people, process, organization and technology within the IP operation are all essential, and data entry and access are frequently commoditized. The overarching driver and objective of IPBM is the support of core business operations, revenue generation and corporate value with a robust data-driven decision-making program.
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Embarking on a process automation initiative, whether a first foray, retiring an older technology or upgrading existing workflow capabilities, can sometimes be overwhelming for the sheer flexibility and power presented by today’s Business Process Management suites. These suites are specifically built to manage all manner of process flows from the very simple to the very complex, including data transformations and user interactions that can wholly change the way a firm operates.
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Business process management, or BPM, is a well-established practice and solution category in the general enterprise technology market. The human-centric capabilities of BPM—as opposed to back-end, technical process and integration automation—are of particular interest to law firms as they seek ways to improve their work efficiency, resource utilization and client satisfaction. The emergence and maturity of matter management-oriented solutions in the BPM market has brought a wealth of options to law firms.
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The use of Business Process Management (BPM) systems to automate and streamline operations is an increasingly critical consideration for law firms. Core processes such as new business intake, conflict clearance, check requests, new employee provisioning, lateral intake and expense management are examples of high priority focus areas for BPM.
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THE TRADE SECRET GOVERNANCE MODEL Information Security is hardly a new topic, but as technology continues to develop and business-related content morphs into ever-new and ever-expanding formats, the responsibility to control and secure Trade Secret data moves beyond IT’s traditional role of securing corporate infrastructure.
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THE TRADE SECRET GOVERNANCE MODEL Given how thoroughly trade secret and business know-how is woven through every area of an enterprise it is only to be expected that the governance of this information will require a multifaceted policy approach and a number of layered procedures to be successful.
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The Trade Secret Governance Model While most organizations are diligent in carefully registering, cataloging and monitoring their tangible intellectual property of patent, trademarks and copyrights, the most valuable asset of them all often remains elusive: Trade Secrets. A study by Forrester Consulting found that fully two-thirds of an organization’s information portfolio can be attributed to trade secrets and in knowledge-intensive fields, this number rises to 70 and even 80%.
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For years, we have been hearing about the impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology could have on the legal profession. The hype around how AI will “change the world” includes everything from promises of an AI-fueled utopia to the impending Skynet apocalypse. To say that expectations about AI are high would be an understatement and while much of the talk is around the possibilities, the reality is much less dramatic, is not always that useful or amazing, and can be extremely frustrating.
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Legal operations excellence is about finding that right balance between supporting the day-to-day challenges of the practice of law and finding ways to harness the tools and experience of that practice to innovate for more effective legal and business outcomes. But that’s easier said than done!
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Electronic commerce has exploded over the past decade, bringing with it a host of new laws related to business transactions using modern technology and communication. Of note are those related to the use of electronic signatures. E-Signature policies are increasingly being adopted by businesses to save significant time and money by eliminating the manual back-and-forth of routing paper documents and reducing the time needed for signature and approvals.
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