News

Reed Smith implements Great Bay's network-discovery device

Prior to deploying Enterasys Networks' NAC architecture, Reed Smith bought two Beacon Endpoint Profiler appliances from Great Bay Software. The network-discovery device from Great Bay has helped the law firm to find and map devices on its network. Since the Enterasys NAC system is based on 802.1X port authentication, which decides whether or not to let devices access the network, the law firm needed to load admission policies for devices that do not support 802.1X. Once implemented, Beacon Endpoint Profiler discovers and profiles endpoints on a network, identifying non-compliant devices. Reed Smith found that with 13,000 devices in 21 offices, it would have taken 1,300 hours for two full-time administrators to verify the status of every device. While the firm paid about $40,000 for the two Great Bay boxes, paying the salaries of employees performing the same job would have cost the firm twice as much. Moreover, subsequent network changes would have rendered the manually collected inventory data obsolete. Among other benefits, Beacon Endpoint Profiler can discover how devices are attached to networks and can track devices when they move from one switch to another.

Thelen Reid selects MetaLINCS suite to enhance its e-discovery capabilities

International law firm Thelen, Reid, Brown, Raysman & Steiner, LLP, has decided to implement the MetaLINCS Enterprise E-Discovery Suite in order to provide clients with enhanced capabilities with regard to quick searches, analysis, and review of important evidence amid large quantities of electronic information. Launched in 2006, the E-Discovery suite will initially be used by Thelen Reid for new antitrust matters. The firm will later implement the software in its commercial litigation practice. MetaLINCS software, which is also used by the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, is widely deployed by law firms and in-house legal departments dealing with antitrust matters. According to Thelen Reid lawyer Jonathan Howden, this move will help the law firm and its clients handle the exigent and costly requirements associated with searching for evidence in email and electronic-data archives. Thelen, Reid, Brown, Raysman & Steiner's 630 lawyers focus on complex commercial litigation, corporate, construction, labor and employment, and intellectual property matters.

Leading U.S. ERM software provider gains client in Europe

Recently honored as the "Best Managed Firm" by Managing Partners' Forum 2006, Barcelona-based Cuatrecasas has entered into a contract with Contact Networks. The company's enterprise relationship management (ERM) software, ContactNet, will primarily assist the law firm with identifying which of its colleagues have the strongest business relationships with clients or prospective clients. Contact Networks, a U.S.-based company, is a leading provider of ERM solutions. Its clients include Skadden Arps, Mintz Levin, Duane Morris, and Sheppard Mullin. One of the largest law firms in Europe, Cuatrecasas has 900 lawyers working in 22 offices. The firm, which is growing by almost 10% per year, has a strong relationship network.

Open Text's LegalKEY Risk Indicator will help law firms' conflicts staff members

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions provider Open Text Corporation has launched the LegalKEY Risk Indicator. The first-of-its-kind solution will help law firms identify potential conflicts of interest, especially when taking on new clients. It will be particularly useful in large firms and merger deals, as both require identification of the riskiest conflicts of interest among large numbers of potential conflicts. Offered as part of Open Text's LegalKEY Conflicts Management solution, LegalKEY Risk Indicator helps conflict managers spot the most critical conflicts and place them at the tops of their conflicts reports. This enables attorneys to take action regarding their most important matters before moving on to other issues. The reports streamline the conflict-resolution procedure and enhance law firms' turnaround times for billable work. Open Text's legal solutions are used by more than 65% of Am Law 100 firms and nine of the top 10 global law firms.

After success with Satori's Profitability solution, New Jersey firm buys i-Performance Suite

In a press release, Satori Group, Inc., announced that New Jersey law firm Archer & Greiner has become a Satori i-Performance Legal Enterprise BI and BPM customer. The law firm successfully deployed Satori's Profitability solution in mid 2006. Profitability enabled the firm to prepare a framework for managing growth value linked to billing rates, staffing, and economic practice management. Satisfied with Satori's service, Archer & Greiner decided to integrate its new Rainmaker Time and Billing system with its i-Performance Legal suite. Satori Group is a leading provider of enterprise-class business-intelligence and business performance-management solutions. A regional full-service law firm, Archer & Greiner is one of the 10 largest law firms in New Jersey.

Thelen Reid expands Los Angeles office

International law firm Thelen, Reid, Brown, Raysman & Steiner, LLP, has announced the appointment of three lawyers as partners and one as an associate in its growing Los Angeles office. Joining the firm from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, partner David Fong will oversee the firm's real estate finance practice in Southern California. Steven Katz, a class action and appellate law expert from Jones Day, will be a partner in the firm's labor and employment department. Dividing his time between the firm's Los Angeles and San Francisco offices, partner Jarrett Fugh will work on real estate issues. Real estate associate Martha Bringas will relocate to Los Angeles from Century City. Thelen, Reid, Brown, Raysman & Steiner has 630 lawyers serving clients from its offices in New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Hartford, New Jersey, Shanghai, and London.

Jenkens & Gilchrist closes its doors

As announced by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), law firm Jenkens & Gilchrist will shut down as a consequence of its promotion of illegal tax shelters for clients. The law firm, which allegedly aided or abetted tax evasion by its clients, has accepted responsibility for its actions and reportedly will not be prosecuted. Once one of the largest law firms in Dallas, Jenkens will pay $76 million in fines to the IRS. Clients benefiting from the tax shelters were fined and, in turn, sued the law firm. The plaintiffs settled for $81.55 million in compensation, with Jenkens paying $5.25 million and insurers and other defendants coughing up the rest. In a statement, Jenkens blamed attorneys in its Chicago office for providing fraudulent opinions that "deprived the U.S. Treasury of significant tax revenues."

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