Newsroom

Technology

At Thompson Coburn LLP (Thompson Coburn), our investment in technology enables the Firm to provide world-class service to our clients through the use of state-of-the-art equipment and custom-designed software. We identify our clients' needs to develop valuable technological solutions and provide a wide variety of cost-effective, practical benefits.

Document Management Services and Custom Database Solutions
Thompson Coburn has developed unique software that incorporates all significant case-related documents into one database. It allows the entire legal team to search for and access documents instantly.

The Firm has created special e-mail notification systems to inform the legal team about new case-related documents. This "daily mail" system keeps everyone notified when information is received, without overwhelming the team with hard copies.

Effectively Harnessing Electronic Discovery
According to the Gartner Group, the leading technology analyst firm, over 80% of data created in the last 20 years exists in some electronic format.

Thompson Coburn is a front-runner in effectively harnessing electronic discovery. Data is generally received in electronic form, usually on CD-ROM, and then uploaded into a software program that reads and processes each file, including e-mail, appointments, contact information, word processing files, PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets, and documents in electronic format. These electronic documents are then automatically organized according to date and assigned document identification (Bates) numbers. Alternatively, a computer with a 10 GB hard drive would create over 200 boxes of printed paper if all of its information were printed manually.

In an electronic format, all key case information is 100% searchable and preserved in its original format. Unlike traditional discovery methods, which rely upon the quality of a printed paper copy to create an image or picture of the document, uploading the document in its original form ensures that it is fully searchable.

Virtual Data Collaboration and Exchange with Clients and Third Parties
The Firm makes use of extranets to provide clients and third parties real-time access to data and databases via web access. This can be a cost-effective and versatile solution for collaboration among several parties in remote locations. An extranet uses a web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, and an interface to a data repository, document database, or other electronic information. Extranets differ from a traditional Internet Web sites in that they are available only to designated parties, thereby protecting data from unauthorized users. Compared with manual file maintenance and duplication, the cost of implementing and maintaining an extranet is low.

We have also created the Patent Query System to simplify searches within the Patent and Trademark Office's Web site. The Patent Query System features an automatic means of transferring multiple images from the Web site to Thompson Coburn and makes it easier to print the document.

Professional Multi-Media Trial Presentations and Exhibits
All of the documentation gathered throughout a case can be used directly from our databases to create courtroom exhibits ranging from single documents to multi-media presentations. Many types of media can be presented electronically, including documents, charts, timelines, engineering diagrams, blueprints, maps, photographs, audio, video, and video synchronized with a transcript. Using our technological resources, the legal team can have instant access to information, even in the courtroom.

In winning a case for the defense (United States vs. Thermal Science, Inc.), our team of trial lawyers was praised for speedy, precise and creative handling of a wide assortment of exhibits in a multi-media format using bar code readers for instant retrieval of more than half a million pages of documents, photos and videos combined with advanced computer imaging for annotating or highlighting any part of the display. The judge thanked us for cutting at least two weeks off the trial. Jurors thanked us for helping them resolve complex issues. We even earned the respect of our government opponents who asked to use our system to display certain exhibits midway through the trial.

Thompson Coburn also successfully represented Continental Grain in the largest hog farm nuisance trial in U.S. history while effectively incorporating technology into their defense. Pre-trial work was enhanced by the creation of a full-text search database, which allowed the legal team to easily locate and review the hundreds of thousands of case-related documents. At trial, the evidence presented included hours of digitized video and thousands of digital photographs. The team also utilized the Firm's document imaging capabilities to display electronic exhibits. The total award in this case was reportedly less than the plaintiffs' attorneys devoted in expenses and the value of their time.

Extensive On-Line Legal Research "Knowledgebase"
To ensure our attorneys have access to the most accurate and up-to-date legal research, Thompson Coburn maintains an extensive on-line "knowledgebase," including specialized electronic search engines, our Firm's third-party research library, virtual CDs and Web-based search engines such as Westlaw.com and Lexis.com.

Automated Office Technologies
Thompson Coburn also provides a variety of tools to manage and enhance documents. DeskSite assists in the organization and retrieval of firm-created documents. Desktop faxing facilitates timely communication, and programs such as Document Transformer and iScrub allow the attorney to feel secure when e-mailing confidential documents.

To ensure that documents are drafted in an efficient manner, our attorneys use HotDocs, sophisticated templates that prompt the user for answers to a series of questions. These answers are then used to complete a pre-formatted document shell, which saves time by eliminating the need to begin each new document from scratch.

Thompson Coburn also created PAIS, the Practice Area Information System, a Web-based interface that encompasses multiple sources of data, including calendars, contacts and web links so that our legal teams have easy access to client and case information. PAIS has the ability to pull, from multiple databases, all of the information a practice area requires for daily business.

How Our Clients Benefit
Every day our clients benefit from the investments we have made in computers, communications and training. These advantages include our ability to provide instant access to huge quantities of information (contained in over 400 active databases and the Firm's electronic library) as well as our extensive networking capabilities. Most important, clients deal with lawyers who are leaders when it comes to applying the benefits of the Information Age to the practice of law.