Every CIO has good days and bad day. And for Doug Caddell, chief information officer for the law firm, Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee, Wis., there are plenty of good ones. The reason is quite simple, really: he's been able to stay ahead of the curve on client-focused technologies. Cadell leads the firm's information technology department and has been the driver of many added innovations that help lawyers at the firm get ahead of the game. Using tech-creativity has allowed the private law firm to build its base, and report $668 million in 2007 sales. Taking technology in hand has allowed the firm to position itself as a technology trend-setter that provides clients with the kind of services not easily found elsewhere. It required Caddell to do more than step aside and watch things progress. It required the training of the firm's lawyers to know how to use technology as part of their services. Not an easy task, as it was pretty tough to get everyone on the same page. Among many initiatives he pioneered, Foley set up an extranet and gave the firm's lawyers the go-ahead to leverage it to the fullest extent possible. "People think it's just a way to exchange documents, but it goes far beyond that," Caddell said. "It's anytime, anywhere access. Clients don't need to play telephone tag with their attorneys as much."

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