Tips for Managing Technology from a Chief Information Officer

In this episode of The Digital Edge, hosts Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway speak with Legal Technology Consultant Andrew Adkins about his time as chief information officer for the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. Andy reflects on his 23 years as a technology consultant and gives a brief breakdown of the variables that led to his move to West Virginia and employment with Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. The firm was large and successful when he arrived but, as he recalls, the information technology infrastructure was understaffed and mostly focused on day-to-day problem solving. This lack of needed staff was one of his biggest challenges as he began to expand the law firm’s IT capabilities and integrate new software to help the attorneys improve the services they provided. Andy talks about the process of building relationships among his teammates, learning their strengths and weaknesses, and the challenges he had convincing management of the necessity of continued employee training. He warns other CIOs of potential “upgrade fatigue” within their IT departments and shares how traveling to introduce himself to each branch of the company and incorporating a monthly newsletter to inform staff of upcoming tech changes helped to prepare staff for company-wide tech improvements. Andy closes the interview with an analysis of how he addressed the law firm's cyber security needs and his list of his best and worst professional moments during his four year employment there.

Andy Adkins has been assisting law firms to improve their services to clients since the late 1980s. His career/journey has continuously led him down various paths, including a four year gig as the Chief Information Officer at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, a large law firm based in Bridgeport, West Virginia.

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