Opportunity Knocks : Litigation Support Staffing : The Cowen Group : Ediscovery Recruiters, Candidate Search, Practice Support, Position Placement

In my session at ILTA on the future of Litigation Support, I asked how many people were working longer and harder today compared to six months ago. 70% of the group raised their hands.

This show of hands, combined with recent data collected by The Cowen Group, indicates that the Litigation Support industry has hit the bottom of the recession (I can’t speak for the entire legal industry or the economy at large). Most litigation support professionals are working harder and longer for one of two reasons:

1)      Because staff cuts have forced them to do the job of two or more people; or

2)      Because their organization has experienced a net increase in work.

Working long and harder, month after month, is not sustainable. Eventually, litigation support and E-Discovery departments will need to add headcount and expand their ranks. Is this expansion happening yet?

We invite you to participate in our Q3 Staffing Trends Survey which will be distributed next week. In it, we ask the following three questions:

1)      Are you and your team working harder and longer compared to three months ago?

2)      Do you plan to add headcount, reduce headcount or keep staffing levels the same between now and the end of the year?

3)      What is your greatest challenge entering the 4^th quarter of 2009? Technology, Workflow/Process Improvement or People?

The Cowen Group’s Q2 Staffing Report found that nearly 1/3 of surveyed Litigation Support departments in the AmLaw 200 planned on adding staff before the end of 2009. I am looking forward to reporting the most recent data next week.

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Last week’s ILTA conference was better than ever. Although attendance was down considerably, I believe that less is more this year.

Fewer people means increased intimacy, more meaningful discussions and enhanced opportunities to create relationships and engage in a long, uninterrupted exchange of ideas.

This year, the people who were able to attend ILTA were clearly decision-makers and influencers, not lieutenants and junior professionals. Everyone came with specific purpose – to learn and engage in a meaningful senior-level exchange of ideas. Attendees and vendors alike could spend more time with key decision makers than in past conferences.

We attend ILTA to explore new technologies, work flows, processes, vendors and systems but at the end of the day, it’s about the people. The technology doesn’t create itself, sell itself or run itself. Workflow and process improvement can’t be canned, packaged or replicated without talented people involved in the technology’s inception, implementation and execution.

While at ILTA, I polled 100+ people on their greatest challenge entering the fourth quarter of 2009. Of these attendees, 20% said their greatest challenge is technology, 60% said it is process workflow and 20% said it is people. If 60% of the challenge is process workflow, isn’t that truly a challenge about people? Without the right people, you can’t originate, implement or execute the process or make informed technology decisions.

People come to ILTA for a variety of reasons. They want to learn about technology improvements, workflow and process improvements and new vendors. But, at the end of the day, it’s really about the people.

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Five years ago, when I first attended LegalTech in New York, the litigation support industry was beginning to come into its own.   32 conferences and 5 years later, I am thrilled and honored to be speaking at this year’s ILTA conference on evolving roles and the future of our litigation support profession.

I’ll be speaking with Ruth C. Hauswirth, Director of Practice Services and Professional Development at Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, Joanne R. Lane, Director of E-Discovery Strategy & Litigation Support at MetLife and Ellen Jones Polhamus, Practice Technology Director at Morgan at Lewis & Bockius LLP.

I hope you’ll join me on Tuesday, August 25^th at 1:30pm as we examine recent trends and look into the crystal ball to see what might be on your career horizon. 

In the meantime, I invite you to take a sneak peak at the presentation. 

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I am here in Texas at ILTA 2008.

The venue is big and the food is awful….

But the people…. Well the people are fantastic!

1500 and counting and 1/3 are 1^st time attendees.

But I did not come to the legal industries best peer to peer networking event for the food and snacks. I came to see, hear and meet the thought leaders of the legal technology community.

And like always they are here… open and available, before, during, and after sessions to answer questions or just say hello.

If you are looking for a good meal… stay home… but if you want to listen and learn from the best and the brightest in the legal technology community...then this is the right place!

Stay tuned for more details and if I miss you here…. then I’m sure I’ll see you at LegalTech!

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The month of August has seen several significant mergers, acquisitions and product launches.

I am happy to report that I have watched these developments from the comfort of my favorite vacation spot with my family.

So with my batteries recharged, I am looking forward to seeing many of you in Dallas for ILTA.

If you are attending and would like to connect to exchange ideas or to discuss the recently published 2008 East Coast Salary Survey… please drop me a note.

My email is david@cowengroup.com

I can easily be found at any of the Litigation Support Track sessions and will be holding a table discussion every morning at breakfast.

Hope to see you in Dallas!

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