Audit of timekeeping practices

The goal of the LSR was for the Department to spearhead government-wide efforts to manage the demand and supply for legal services, thereby containing legal services costs and ensuring that legal services are fiscally sustainable in the long term. [...] Page 4 5. Audit Objective The objective of the audit was to provide assurance on the adequacy of the governance framework and to assess the effectiveness of controls over departmental timekeeping practices. [...] It was important to determine whether an effective framework was in place to support the achievement of the Department’s timekeeping objectives and the extent to which employees and managers understood the objectives, expectations and their responsibilities. [...] The audit also revealed that the Department initiated a pilot project to increase the number of categories of activities listed under the Legal Advisory Services to Client Departments’ section of the NTP and define the categories more clearly. [...] The audit found that the NTP information session provided participants with essential information to understand and comply with the NTP and that the question and answer period of these sessions provided the opportunity to clarify misconceptions with regards to the timekeeping process.