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The adage, do more with less, applies to today’s corporate legal departments with less budget to hire more talent. This means legal operations' reliance on IT vendors to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and maintain software compliance is increasing. Essential IT vendor management best practices are crucial to ensure that these partnerships deliver maximum value. In this article, we explore IT vendor management best practices focusing on the unique needs of corporate legal departments and particularly the legal operations teams that lead its effective management.
Before we look into IT vendor management best practices, first we’ll review vendor management. Broadly, vendor management is an application in enterprise legal management software that enables legal teams and legal operations to analyze outside counsel performance. The analysis includes dashboard comparisons of law firms, legal spend, matter budgets, and overall evaluation metrics.
Regarding IT vendor management, the legal operations professional oversees and coordinates relationships with IT vendors to ensure that the services and products provided align with the department's strategic goals. Legal operations directors must negotiate contracts with IT vendors and others that deliver legal services; monitor performance of each and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory standards.
IT vendors offer a range of products and services tailored to the needs of corporate legal departments. These can include legal management software, e-discovery tools, data security solutions, and cloud-based platforms for enterprise legal management, document management, matter and case management software, and productivity and collaboration, as examples. IT vendor management best practices depend on back-end knowledge and due diligence by a legal operations technology manager to understand who and which company the IT vendor is from; what services they offer after the sale; and whether professional services are offered.
When selecting IT vendors, several key criteria come to mind:
Additional IT vendor management best practices include the following:
So much effort is put into selecting an IT vendor, followed by software deployment. Implementation of the software isn’t the finish line. Ongoing collaboration with IT vendors is essential. Depending on the type of service package that a legal operations director selects, there should be account managers who service their accounts with regular check-ins after purchasing software. This ensures that the software is effectively integrated into existing systems and that users receive adequate training and support.
Post-purchase services from IT vendors can include:
IT vendor management best practices require an effective and proactive approach. Regularly review vendor performance, maintain open lines of communication, and be prepared to renegotiate terms as the legal department's needs evolve. By following these best practices, corporate legal departments can maximize the value of their IT vendor partnerships and stay ahead in a competitive landscape. By carefully selecting and managing IT vendors, legal teams can enhance their operational efficiency, reduce risks, and achieve their strategic objectives. Reach us to learn more about IT vendor management.
* The views expressed in externally authored materials linked or published on this site do not necessarily reflect the views of LexisNexis Legal & Professional.