The Importance of Basic Office Technology Proficiency in the Legal World "Proficient in MS Office" is among the most common untruths. It's right up there with "I have read these terms and conditions" except that most people who claim the former actually believe it. Most of them just happen to be wrong. Legal professionals do not deliberately underutilize the most ubiquitous technological tools of their trade. No one does it wrong on purpose. But we don't know what we don't know. So we persist in a manner that eats up time with low value added work and increases the opportunity for human error. There is a better way. It is time to find out what that way is. In this 60 minute program, the creator of the Legal Tech Assessment (LTA), Casey Flaherty, will explain why he as in-house counsel tested his outside lawyers and support staff on Word, Excel, and PDF. He will delve into how getting better at the basics improves speed, quality, and job satisfaction. He will speak of the value of competence-based learning and the importance of micro-certifications, especially for those people who are already good but heretofore had no way to prove it. He will also explore how the LTA is one piece of a much larger legal service delivery puzzle. He will discuss the changing face of the legal market and the evolving role of allied professionals within it. Introduction to the Legal Tech Assessment The myth of the digital natives The fallacy of Easy Buttons The changing legal market The evolving role of allied professionals Casey Flaherty is a founder of Procertas. He consults with law departments on legal operations, process improvement, technology, and external resource management. Casey also serves as the Director of Client Value at Haight Brown & Bonesteel and on the Board of Advisors of Nextlaw Labs. Casey was a litigator at an AmLaw 100 firm before moving in-house at a global automotive company. He rose to prominence as in-house attorney for his unconventional approach to outside counsel management. The practical and philosophical aspects of his emphasis on data-driven dialogue and deep-supplier relationships are explored in Unless You Ask: A Guide For Law Departments To Get More From External Relationships published by the Association of Corporate Counsel. Among other endeavors, Casey developed a first-of-its-kind competence-based learning platform, the Legal Technology Assessment, to help legal professionals become proficient in the basic technological tools of their trade (e.g., Word, Excel, PDF). Casey lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and two sons.