Sidley Austin’s Marin Sees CIO Role as One of Leadership, Communication

Vince Marin, chief information officer of Chicago-based Sidley Austin LLP, sees his role as one of a leader and consensus -builder, in addition to provider of information services. He spoke with Big Law Business about his job and his views on technology. Below is a lightly edited version of the conversation.

Excerpts:

The IT team has approximately 200 people, and I also have responsibility for litigation and practice support, records management and docketing. I have direct or indirect responsibility for about 500 people.

We also adopted the “bring your own device” (BYOD) model for smartphones.

In addition to the next generation of knowledge management, document management and data analytics tools, we are using team and client collaboration tools, extranet kinds where we and clients can share documents and collaborate on matters.

We’re engaged in eight different office expansions or buildouts.

I’m also keeping a very close eye on IBM’s Watson.

Big Law Business:In your opinion, what should be the role of a law firm CIO?

Marin: To me, this is a multifaceted role that requires striking the right balance on a number of key attributes. One component, obviously, is service- and support-related — and even there I would draw a distinction between the basic level of service any business should be able to take for granted, and making sure all the technology is adopted and used in the day-to-day work of the firm.

The CIO also needs to be a transformation leader, oftentimes an educator and change agent, and in a number of ways a consensus-building as well. Gone are the days when any one of us at the firm can say, “This is what we’re doing. Everyone fall in line.” We have a very vibrant and active technology committee, made up of 20 of our partners representing the transaction side of the house as well as the litigation and regulatory sides. In the two-plus years I’ve been with the firm, this has been a fabulous group to work with and engage at the thought-leadership level.

In addition to services and support, the leadership and people-development component of my role is equally important to me and to the firm. When there is technology everywhere, as there is today, it is really the people that make the difference, the colleagues I’m privileged to lead. The CIO’s role needs to be one of motivator, mentor and inspirational leader, and a transparent communicator as well. I write an internal communication to the entire community I’m responsible for every two weeks, with recognitions, updates on the major things we are working on, inspirational thoughts and individual highlights. I do the same thing with the partner group every so often, and that’s well received as well.

I sit down with my colleagues one on one to understand their desires and career plans. The IT team has approximately 200 people, and I also have responsibility for litigation and practice support, records management and docketing. I have direct or indirect responsibility for about 500 people, and I’m one of those people that never wants to lose touch with any of them. Part of my goal is to bring out the best in these individuals and help them achieve their potential, for their benefit as well as the benefit of the firm.

Big Law Business: What aspects of technology do you view as particularly important to law firms, and what are you doing with them?

Marin:Personal productivity is at the core of what everybody needs on any given day at any given hour, and oftentimes well outside of business hours. In our case, that means making sure every lawyer and most of our staff have ultralight laptops that we all can work on in the office or when traveling, and allow us to connect with the firm from anywhere, any time.

We also adopted the “bring your own device” (BYOD) model for smartphones. We’re trying to be flexible, agile and responsive to individual ways of working, at the same time keeping it manageable in that we have limited the use of devices to those that are tested, approved and fully supported.

In addition to the next generation of knowledge management, document management and data analytics tools, we are using team and client collaboration tools, extranet kinds where we and clients can share documents and collaborate on matters, and internal collaborative sites for every one of our practices where commonly needed knowledge and documents are retained.

Big Law Business : What projects are you currently working on?

Marin: My team continues to be very busy, for all the right reasons. We’re engaged in eight different office expansions or buildouts. The firm is doing very well with the arrival of laterals and growth within, and we’ve had to expand in a number of locations. For example, we recently opened an office in Century City, Calif., and are expanding in Boston, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

We’re also preparing to move the entire firm to the next version of the Microsoft suite of products, and we’re working on a number of strategically important capabilities related to client relationship management, business intelligence and so on. Also, our website is going through a major redesign.

Big Law Business:What’s your favorite technology, either business-related or personal?

Marin:I am one of those people who is enormously appreciative of the way technology is transforming the world, and I appreciate the beauty of all this from small things to big things.

Last week, I was at the end of a highway exit ramp. I was the only one in my car, and I had to make a left turn onto a four-lane road. There were easily 50 cars on both sides, and every one came to a stop at just the right time so I, the individual, could make a left turn. It was a beautiful moment for me. Technology and law came together.

I continually admire technology. While working out, I have a device that tells me how many calories I’m burning and all the other statistics that come with it, the way cars increasingly use technology for safety reasons. Every time I fly I marvel at how a plane can take off and stay in the air.

The transformational technology that is really opening my eyes at the moment is translation technology. Microsoft today announced it will have real-time translation capability in more than a handful of languages. As a person who speaks four languages at different levels, I fully understand how difficult learning a language can be, and for that kind of capability to be available is fascinating.

I’m also keeping a very close eye on IBM’s Watson and its natural language and artificial intelligence capabilities.