Reinventing Professionals: Recent Episodes
Ari Kaplan
The business of providing professional advice is changing. Today, anyone can go online and access a wealth of information about any topic, from legal and medical advice to financial planning and accounting suggestions. This blog is designed to offer ideas, guidance, and perspectives on how to effectively navigate a perpetually shifting professional landscape, with a unique focus on the legal industry and the technology that is driving its evolution.
I spoke with Monica Harris, a product business manager for Cellebrite, a digital intelligence software company that provides tools to collect, review, analyze and manage digital data for law enforcement agencies, enterprises, and providers of services. We discussed its new report, Changes, Challenges, and Choices in Managing Modern Mobile Collections: Harnessing New Technology to Enhance E-Discovery, and new developments in remote mobile collections that law department leaders should be prepared to address in 2023.
I spoke with Holger Zscheyge and Zohar Fisher. Zohar is the founder of Tech&Law in Israel, which is the legal tech department at his consulting firm, Robus, and Holger is the managing director of Infotropic Media, a publisher and provider of information services located in Moscow, and also serves as the president of the European Legal Tech Association, a consortium of law firms, legal technology companies, and individuals focused on driving the growth of legal tech in Europe, which is hosting its annual ELTA conference in Tel-Aviv on November 29th, for which Zohar is the Israeli ambassador. We discussed the conference, what attendees can expect, and how legal technology in Europe is evolving.
I spoke with Marc Zamsky, the CEO of Cimplifi, about the 2022 E-Discovery Unfiltered report and expectations for e-discovery in 2023.
I spoke with Erika Segal, the brand manager for LawPay, a legal payments platform. We discussed how payment options for legal services have evolved, whether legal professionals should consider offering a Buy Now, Pay Later option to their clients, and where the development of new payment options is headed.
I spoke with Albert Tawil, the founder & CEO of Lateral Hub, an online job platform that allows attorneys to browse and apply for job openings at top-tier law firms, and for law firms to review and hire candidates directly. We discussed trends in the legal recruiting market and advice for potential lateral candidates.
I spoke with Daniel Porus. the Chief Commercial Officer at Legatics, a legal transaction management platform. We discussed the key transaction management challenges that legal teams are addressing, what legal professionals can do to accelerate change, and how legal transaction management is evolving.
I spoke with Aria Nejad, in-house counsel with Lex Machina, a legal analytics company. We discussed how legal analytics can provide attorneys with a competitive advantage, ways that law firms can use legal analytics to enhance their services, and how APIs are driving value and data integration in legal.
I spoke with Tom O’Connor, a consultant, speaker, and writer focused on innovative litigation support systems. He is a member of the global advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists and the author of Ediscovery for the Rest of Us. We discussed the most common e-discovery mistakes and how the pandemic impacted e-discovery.
I spoke with Freddie Hustler, the Head of International Sales at Litera, a software company that provides document lifecycle, deal management, and firm intelligence solutions to the legal profession. We discussed Litera’s sponsorship of the keynote at the Legal Management Forum in Madrid, what is driving the focus on innovation and law firm transformation in Europe, the common challenges that law firms in the US and the EU share, how global law firms are aligning the way their teams around the world leverage technology, and best practices for global teams to collaborate and drive change.
I spoke with Peter Carayiannis, a partner with EY Law and the author of Corporate Counsel: Expert Advice on Becoming a Successful In-House Lawyer. We discussed the challenges that new law department leaders face, the qualities that make a general counsel successful, and how in-house legal departments are evolving.
I spoke with Tom O’Connor, a consultant, speaker, and writer focused on innovative litigation support systems. He is a member of the global advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists and the author of Ediscovery for the Rest of Us. We discussed the most common e-discovery mistakes and how the pandemic impacted e-discovery.
I spoke with Varun Mehta, the CEO of Factor, a provider of complex legal work at scale. We discussed how integrated law differs from traditional alternative legal services, the companies or industries to which an integrated law approach is best suited, and how to align software and services to accommodate client needs.
I spoke with Sean Greaney, the general counsel of HyperDraft, a legal document automation platform. We discussed how advancements in document automation have affected the overall development of legal technology and career advice in making the transition from law firm partner to startup general counsel.
I spoke with Hiro Notaney, the chief marketing officer, at Sirion Labs, a contract management software platform. We discussed the advantages of leveraging contract management software, how the growth in this sector reflect changes in how law firms and law departments manage their agreements, and where contract management is headed.
I spoke with Jodie Zerega, the founder of Zerega Consulting, a recruiting firm that has placed attorneys in law firms, corporations, and non-profit organizations, and the developer of the Attorney Jobs app. We discussed current trends in legal recruiting, tips for attorneys searching for a lateral opportunity, and the direction of legal hiring.
I spoke with Sean West, the co-founder of Hence Technologies, an external counsel management platform. We discussed the most significant risks that corporate legal departments are facing in 2022, where corporate legal teams are driving change, and how corporate legal teams integrate data analytics into their technology portfolios.
I spoke with Ross Guberman, the founder of Legal Writing Pro and the developer of BriefCatch, a legal editing software tool. We discussed how BriefCatch reflects the broad application of technology in the legal profession, whether the way legal professionals draft content has changed, and how legal drafting is evolving.
I spoke with Simon Taylor, the CEO of HYCU, a multi-cloud backup and recovery SaaS business. We discussed best practices for leading through a growth phase, proven techniques for managing teams working on remote and hybrid schedules, and how the backup and data recovery sector is evolving.
I spoke with Leah Del Percio, the co-founder and CEO of Trustate, an estate administration platform. We discussed the genesis of Trustate, how it helps lawyers and law firms with their probate and estate administration practices, adapting the skills of a lawyer to the role of CEO of a legal tech company, and the opportunities for growth in legal technology.
I spoke with Laura Keily, the founder and CEO of Immediation, a dispute resolution platform. We discussed how the use of video collaboration tools has changed over the past few years, the advantages and disadvantages of remote advocacy, transitioning from practicing law to becoming a legal tech founder, and where video collaboration and dispute resolution platforms are headed.
During the 2022 International Legal Technology Association conference, I spoke with Athena Strasel of Casepoint, Daniel Porus of Legatics, Horace Wu of Syntheia, Jeff Pfeifer of LexisNexis, and Mark Davey of Ricoh USA about the technology-related challenges that law firms are facing in the current environment.
At the 2022 International Legal Technology Association conference, I interviewed James Lasson of Casepoint, Bob Beach of Peppermint, Peter Zver of Bundledocs, Dan Hauck of NetDocuments, Jack Stanovsek of Neota Logic, and Nick Schils of TIQ about how interest in legal technology has changed over the past few years.
During the 2022 International Legal Technology Association conference, I spoke with Michael Grupp of BRYTER, Rick Weber of Arbor Ridge Partners, Ross Guberman of BriefCatch, and Julian Uebergang of Neota Logic about opportunities in the current market.
I spent two days at the 2022 International Legal Technology Association conference interviewing leaders about key trends and developments that are impacting the profession. Thanks to David Carns of Casepoint, Brian Kenneally of Bundledocs, Josh Baxter of NetDocuments, Kalina Leopold of Lupl, Olga Mack of Parley Pro, a LexisNexis company, Steve Irons of DocSolid, Tom Dreyfus of Josef, Tori Kim of eBrevia, and Zach Warren of Thomson Reuters Institute for sharing their perspectives on the road ahead for legal tech.
I spoke with Hasna Al Falali, the Cooking School Manager at La Maison Arabe Riad Hotel in Marrakech, Morocco, about traditional Moroccan cuisine, its distinctive flavors, and the art of preparing it.
I spoke with Yavor Gradinarov, the Sales Manager at the Hotel Sahrai in Fez, Morocco about the return of leisure travel, ideas for exploring the city of Fez, and the key elements of client service.
I spoke with Debbie Foster, the managing partner of Affinity Consulting, a company focused on optimizing law firm performance. We discussed why efficiency, productivity, and profitability have become a focal point for leaders in legal, the technology applications that have the greatest impact on a law firm’s success, and the Lemonade virtual conference.
I spoke with Vishal Sunak, the co-founder and CEO of LinkSquares, the developer of an AI-powered contracting platform for legal teams. We discussed how LinkSquares distinguishes its approach in the contract software market, how the company is deploying its $100M Series C round of funding, and the ways that it attracts and retains top talent in today’s climate.
I spoke with Todd Corham, the Chief Information Officer at Saul Ewing and a member of the International Legal Technology Association‘s survey committee. We discussed the results of ILTA’s 2022 Technology Survey, how law firm leaders can incorporate the findings to make improvements, and how law firm technology is evolving.
I spoke with Paul Giedraitis, a principal at Axiom Consulting Partners, and the founder and president of Orgaimi, a client intelligence platform for law and accounting firms. We discussed how law firms are leveraging client intelligence, the sources of data that are most valuable for law firms and legal professionals, how Orgaimi uses artificial intelligence and machine learning, and ways that law firms can begin to harness the power of their data.
I spoke with Tom Lambotte, the founder and CEO of two companies, GlobalMac IT, a managed services provider focused on supporting lawyers nationwide who use Apple products, and BobaGuard, a suite of turnkey cybersecurity solutions built for solo practitioners and small law firms. We discussed the most common IT challenges that solo and small law firms in the legal community face, best practices for safeguarding client data, and risks to which solo and small law firms are vulnerable.
I spoke with Peter Krakaur, the Global Law Innovation & Technology Leader for Ernst & Young. We discussed how corporate legal teams are moving beyond a focus on legal technology and more towards enterprise applications, the personnel and process changes impacted by enterprise technology, and the change management challenges, or opportunities, in evolving corporate legal departments.
I spoke with Jamie Wodetzki, the chief product officer at Catylex, a developer of contract AI applications. We discussed contract AI, the connection between contract AI and contract lifecycle management, the most common challenges legal teams face in organizing their data to optimize their use of CLM, the tipping point for true AI adoption in the legal profession, and the skills necessary for legal professionals to thrive in a more tech-enabled environment.
I spoke with Amy Sellars, Senior Legal Counsel for eDiscovery and Operations at CBRE, and one of the founders, along with Christine Payne, Stacy Sampeck, Kevin Brady, Logan Cornett, Chad Riley, and Mary Kostick, of the Mind-Budget Connection™ which is a new organization that is studying the mental health of e-discovery professionals. We discussed the mission of the organization, how the pandemic has impacted the work of those focused on e-discovery, best practices for managing a litigation support workload, and the importance of well-being in this sector.
I spoke with Dr. Gavin Manes, the founder and CEO of Avansic, a provider of e-discovery and digital forensics services, about the primary activities and technologies incorporated into e-discovery projects, where are litigants facing the most challenging e-discovery issues, how legal teams are approaching self-service e-discovery, and the role of forensics in modern discovery.
I spoke with Jake Stein, the co-founder and CEO of Common Paper. a structured contract platform. We discussed contract lifecycle management, the process of converting contracts into APIs, the benefits of using standard contracts, and emerging standard agreements, and the release of its data processing agreement and service level agreement.
I spoke with Peter Baumann, the founder and CEO of ActiveNav, a data privacy and governance software provider that serves various sectors, including legal. We discussed how unstructured data impacts legal organizations, the challenges of managing unstructured data, best practices for assessing the risks related to unstructured data, and how this issue is evolving.
I spoke with Jason Levin, an executive career, business development, and outplacement coach with Ready, Set, Launch, LLC, and the author of Relationships to Infinity: The Art and Science of Keeping in Touch. We discussed how legal professionals can improve their networking, the value of dormant ties, best practices for reconnecting with contacts, and how trust and friendship relate to connecting and reconnecting.
I spoke with Bill Bice, the CEO of nQ Zebraworks, the developer of the Queues workflow engine, which law firms around the world have deployed. We discussed how the pandemic impacted how law firms approach their workflows, the challenges and opportunities associated with hybrid operations, and what legal technology companies can do to facilitate the broader adoption of their products.
I spoke with Phil Thurner, the founder and CEO of Nexl, the Revenue Operations Cloud platform built to support the business development initiatives within law firms. We discussed the current state of business development within law firms, the challenges that law firms have in converting relationships into revenue, and the value of Revenue Operations.
I am speaking today with Ari Treuhaft, the chief operating officer for Litify, a legal operating system for professionals in law firms and corporate legal departments. We discussed how law firms use and can use Salesforce, common hurdles to legal tech adoption, ways that Litify empowers collaboration between in-house legal teams and their outside counsel, and how technology companies in a competitive market can distinguish themselves.
I spoke with Jeroen Plink, the COO of the LegalTech Hub, and Jeroen Ketting, the founder and CEO of the Lighthouse Group, a provider of management and trade support to Western companies doing business in Russia and Ukraine. We discussed how a legal tech background can empower humanitarian work worldwide, best practices for adapting business knowledge and logistics expertise to support the community, and how the legal tech community can support the Lifeline Ukraine initiative.
I spoke with Linc Kroeger, the President of Knight Moves, a company that offers training in technology disciplines, with a focus on empowering Native American, rural, and urban underserved communities. We discussed how Knight Moves empowers technology talent, the Potential Quotient, and the trajectory of technology education.
I spoke with Dorna Moini, the co-founder and CEO of Documate, a no-code platform for building document automation and client-facing web applications for legal professionals. We discussed how legal professionals are implementing document automation, the challenges associated with using no-code technology, and the impact of document automation on access to justice.
I spoke with Priyadarshini Shetty, the founder of Elliot, a legal technology consultancy, which helps law firms and corporate legal departments analyze their existing systems, processes, and services to identify opportunities for improvement. She also publishes a legal tech content portal called Walchet.com. We discussed the legal tech sector in India, the most prominent challenges that legal teams have with deploying and implementing legal technology, and where legal technology in India is headed.
I spoke with Ari Mandel, the vice president of discovery services for Gulfstream Legal, a provider of eDiscovery, records retrieval, and court reporting services. We discussed why legal professionals should seek out e-discovery education, the value that legal professionals receive by looking to eDiscovery vendors for new programs, and the skills that legal professionals should develop to give themselves a competitive advantage in the current market.
I spoke with Kevin Gallagher, the general manager of payments at AbacusNext, a software provider for legal and accounting professionals. We discussed the benefits of using a law firm’s practice management platform to accept payments, how firms can control the costs associated with payment processing, ways that legal professionals are adapting to flexible pricing models beyond the billable hour, and how payment for legal services is evolving.
I spoke with Marsha Redmon, the founder of Marsha Redmon Communications, which helps lawyers and other professionals build their virtual presence and use thought leadership more effectively. We discussed the secret to standing out online, ways to develop a strong virtual presence, how to connect with audiences virtually, and the worst mistake lawyers and other professionals make when they are presenting online or in person.
I spoke with Mike Haven, the Head of Legal Operations at Intel and the President of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium. We discussed how the legal operations sector has evolved over the past decade, where legal operations leaders see opportunities in the current market, the success of the 2022 CLOC Global Institute, and where the legal operations sector is headed.
I spoke with Owen McGab Enaohwo, the co-founder and CEO of SweetProcess, a software platform designed to systematize an organization’s business operations. We discussed how professionals can leverage technology to systematize their tasks, best practices for documenting procedures, the challenges associated with that effort, and the results an organization can expect once it streamlines its processes.
I spoke with John Robertson, the founder of Fortlog Services, a training company that focuses on helping organizations manage transitions: workplace change and upheaval, conflict, and stress, among other areas. We discussed how organizations should define wellness, ways they can optimize it, and best practices for addressing and resolving conflicts in the workplace.
I spoke with Maya Markovich, the executive in residence at Village Capital, and the executive director of the Justice Technology Association. We discussed the mission of the Justice Technology Association, the problems that justice tech aims to address, how her experience with NextLaw Labs has helped to shape her approach, and where justice tech is headed.
I spoke with Craig Carpenter and Dean Gonsowski, the CEO and CRO, respectively for Gimmal, a provider of software and services to streamline the discovery, migration, governance, and compliance of information. We discussed the genesis of Gimmal, the biggest information governance challenges that legal teams need to address, how companies should revise their records retention and document management plans, and the impact that technology is having on the way organizations approach their e-discovery matters.
I spoke with John Tredennick, the founder and CEO of Merlin Search Technologies, a developer of cloud-based search applications. We discussed the genesis of Merlin Search Technologies, how his experience as a large law firm partner and CEO of Catalyst has helped shape Merlin’s mission, the matters for which search technology is best suited, how legal technology is evolving beyond legal, and advice for legal tech entrepreneurs.
I spoke with Anthony Davies, the Chief Revenue Officer for Forrest Solutions, an onsite outsourcing, flexible staffing, and alternative legal services provider. We discussed how the move to a hybrid work model has impacted attorney retention, recruitment, and collaboration, the “rise of hospitality” in law firms, and the changing expectations of working in an office.
I spoke with Josh Herman, the vice president for marketing and public relations at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. We discussed what makes the hotel unique, how it shifted its focus during the pandemic, the best time to visit, and what business lessons leaders can learn from how the Fontainebleau Miami Beach has maintained its appeal over many years.
I spoke with members of the board of directors for The Masters Conference, including Rick Clark, its co-founder, and senior director of sales enablement and strategy with CloudNine, Monica Harris, product business manager of enterprise solutions at Cellebrite, and Marla Mohr, manager of client relations at ACEDS, We discussed the return of The Masters Conference, how its 2022 schedule honors the legacy of Robert Childress, who led the conference for many years, what distinguishes this series, and the skills that are necessary for legal professionals to thrive in a post-pandemic environment.
I spoke with Dean Whalen, the chief legal officer for Readback, an artificial intelligence-assisted court reporting platform. We discussed ways to build trust in AI, how states are adapting to changes in court reporting, and how court reporting will evolve.
I spoke with Scott Seidewitz, the CEO of BlissDivorce, a company that leverages dispute resolution technology to streamline divorce proceedings. We discussed how BlissDivorce differs from other online divorce platforms, why a consumer would choose to leverage technology over hiring an attorney, and how legal technology is evolving to support consumers.
I spoke with Stephanie Corey, the co-founder and general partner of UpLevel Ops, a legal strategy and operations consulting firm. She is also the co-founder of the Legal Innovators Network, a new association exclusively for senior legal operations professionals. We discussed the role of technology in driving innovation and efficiency in corporate legal departments, the Legal Innovators Network, and where the field of legal operations is headed.
I spoke with Stephen Dowling, a barrister in Dublin, Ireland, and the founder of Trialview, a software platform designed for litigators to prepare their evidence and present it at trial. We discussed the genesis of Trialview, how it integrates with other legal technology tools, and how technology is reshaping litigation.
I spoke with Marla Crawford, the general counsel at Cimplifi, an integrated legal services provider that aligns e-discovery and contract analytics for corporate legal departments and law firms. We discussed how the delivery of legal services has shifted, Cimplifi’s new market research report, Modern Legal Operations: At the Convergence of Law and Business, and how the role of legal operations professionals is evolving.
For this Legalweek 2022 day two mixtape, I was fortunate to speak with Ryan Anderson of Filevine, Dan Berlin of TABS3, Ian Campbell of iCONECT, Debbie Foster of Affinity Consulting, Steve Goldstein of Squire Patton Boggs, Eric Gonzales of Epiq, Anil Kona of Ligl, Matt Mahon at Trustpoint.One, Soumya Nettimi of Paradigm, Memme Onwudiwe of Evisort, Steve Schley of ContractPodAi, Joey Seeber of Level Legal, Danny Thankachan of Blank Rome, and Nick Whitehouse of Onit.
On the first official day of Legalweek 2022, I was fortunate to speak with Haley Altman, Haydn Jones, Karl Harris, Jeff Pfeifer, Mike Suchsland, Ethan Treese, and Jim Vint about their expectations for the conference.
After two years, it was great to feature an array of perspectives on legal technology during Legalweek 2022. Thanks to Alex Babin, Darin Bartik, Haresh Bhungalia, Dean Brown, Lydia Flocchini, Tim Follett, Ned Gannon, Laura Keily, Rakesh Madhava, Joshua Schnoll, Jason Smith, Ari Treuhaft, Laurence Winters, and Laura Wooster for sharing their views on the day before the conference began.
I spoke with Scott Reib, an attorney for business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, and providers of professional services. We discussed the firm’s Access legal services subscription, the difference between legal advice and legal coaching, how lawyers can support the success of a client’s business, and how the pandemic impacted the way that businesses approach transactions remotely.
I spoke with patent attorney Gabe Sukman, the CEO and founder of ClearstoneIP, an intellectual property technology provider with offices in the U.S. and Europe. We discussed why the freedom-to-operate sector is important, trends in IP enforcement, and the biggest challenges that IP lawyers are facing today.
I spoke with Alex Babin, the CEO of ZERO, a company that provides productivity automation software for law firms. We discussed why law firms are leveraging productivity automation technology, the tasks for which legal professionals should apply artificial intelligence, the company’s $12 million Series A investment round, and how the appeal of automation will evolve.
I spoke with Chris Cartrett and Raphael Shure, the CEO and COO, respectively, for Aderant, a developer of practice management software for legal professionals. We discussed why legal teams are increasingly focused on leveraging technology for practice management, how the pandemic impacted the way law firm leaders manage their teams and operations, Aderant’s acquisition of American LegalNet, and the most promising areas of legal in 2022.
I spoke with Nehal Madhani, the founder and CEO of Alt Legal, the developer of a cloud-based IP docketing software platform that helps legal professionals prepare and manage their IP filings. We discussed how legal technology companies can adapt to a changing legal climate, growth opportunities, the appeal of automating legal tasks, Alt Legal’s acquisition of Towergate, and the launch of the International Intellectual Property Standards Organization.
I spoke with Erez Bustan, the former CEO of American Legalnet, a leading docketing and litigation management software developer, which Aderant recently acquired. We discussed the sale of American Legalnet, the factors that an entrepreneur should consider when deciding whether to sell a legal technology company, and future opportunities for innovation in legal.
I spoke with Sang Lee, the CEO and co-founder of Thine, a technology company that develops and deploys pre-hiring and integration assessments. Sang is a lawyer and entrepreneur who has also owned and operated SJL Attorney Search and Volta Talent Strategies. We discussed Thine’s new report, The Rise of Innovation in the Recruitment of Lawyers in a Hyper-Competitive Market, how the pandemic has impacted law firm talent management, ways that technology can help law firms hire and retain talent, and where law firm innovation is headed.
I spoke with Jennifer Whittier, the president of Cole Valley Software, developer of the ContactEase CRM platform, and Tom Obermaier, the CEO of SurePoint Technologies, a provider of financial and practice management software to law firms nationwide, which has just announced its acquisition of Cole Valley Software. We discussed how the acquisition and inclusion of ContactEase in SurePoint’s portfolio will empower its customers, and how customer relationship management aligns with profitability and financial performance.
I spoke with Bill Coletti, the founder of Kith Crisis Management and the author of Critical Moments, The New Mindset of Reputation Management. We discussed the difference between crisis management and crisis prevention, how law firms can align their brands and reputations, and how crisis management is evolving in a tech-enabled hybrid work environment.
I spoke with Gretta Rusanow, the head of advisory services in Citi’s law firm group and a managing director with the bank. We discussed the 2022 Citi Hildebrandt Client Advisory, how the expected return to the office for most firms in the first quarter of the year will impact their growth, and ways that law firms can sustain their success.
I spoke with Kim Neeson, the founder of Neesons, a Canadian court reporting firm that Veritext acquired in 2019. She recently launched Kim Neeson, Coach, Consultant, Mentor, which provides entrepreneurial and leadership coaching with an emphasis on mid-career women, and we discussed entrepreneurial challenges, the benefits of coaching for an entrepreneur, and how entrepreneurs and leaders maintain momentum in this uncertain market.
I spoke with Kelly Twigger, the principal of ESI Attorneys, a law firm focused on supporting e-discovery matters, and the developer of E-Discovery Assistant, an online practice resource used by lawyers and legal professionals in law firms, corporate legal departments, and government agencies involved in e-discovery. We discussed the aspects of e-discovery that are most challenging for legal professionals in 2022, opportunities for streamlining the process, and how the approach to e-discovery has changed due to remote work.
I spoke with Owen Oliver, the Head of Strategic Partnerships at StructureFlow, a software platform that helps lawyers and finance professionals visualize, model, and plan transactions and structures. We discussed the importance of visualization in legal and business matters, trends that are driving the need for structure-specific technology, and where the application of technology in corporate transactions is headed.
I spoke with Damian Jeal, the CEO of Nikec Solutions, a provider of software solutions for law firms to support training, productivity, and collaboration, which has introduced new tools for cybersecurity. We discussed how software can help law firms address cybersecurity challenges, what they can do at little or no cost before implementing more sophisticated technology, and whether a firm can verify that its cybersecurity program is complete.
I spoke with Jim Wagner, the founder and managing principal of Lean Law Labs, an incubation lab for legal innovation, and the managing director of Lean Law Ventures, which invests in dynamic legal technology applications. We discussed the trends in the legal sector that are fueling initiatives like Lean Law Labs, the challenges associated with driving change in legal, and the businesses in legal that are most attractive to investors.
I spoke with Jim McGinnis, the CEO of MyCase, a practice management software company. We discussed how law firms have adapted to operating remotely, what the MyCase 2021 Legal Industry Report reveals about the future of remote work, the most significant challenges for law firms engaged in digital transformation, and ways that legal professionals can become more comfortable operating in a perpetual state of uncertainty.
I spoke with Jennifer Bantelman, the Vice President of Customer Experience and Thought Leadership at Zapproved, for a special E-Discovery Unfiltered edition of the Reinventing Professionals podcast. We discussed how corporate legal teams are adapting to uncertainty, ways that automation can help in-house leaders maximize their hybrid work environments, effectively managing security and privacy remotely, the cloud, and key considerations for corporate legal teams evaluating software in 2022.
I spoke with Brian McComak, the founder and CEO of Hummingbird Humanity, a diversity and inclusion consultancy. He is also the author of the upcoming book - Humanity in the Workplace: A Blueprint for Building an Inclusive and Equitable Company Culture. We discussed the genesis of Hummingbird Humanity, best practices for creating a blueprint for building an inclusive and equitable company, the challenges associated with achieving workplace diversity, and how culture impacts diversity, equity, and inclusion.
I moderated a discussion with the following select group of leading chief executive officers for the final Ari Kaplan Advisors CEO Roundtable of 2021 about trends, challenges, and opportunities in the past year and the year ahead: Gary Buckland, CEO, Lexitas; Candice Hunter Corby, CEO, Cobra Legal Solutions; Sang Lee, CEO, Thine; James Lee, CEO, LegalMation; Laura Leopard, CEO, Leopard Solutions; Nicolas Leroux, CEO, Kalexius; Rakesh Madhava, CEO, Nextpoint; Gary Sangha, CEO, LexCheck; Joey Seeber, CEO, Level Legal; and, Ram Vasudevan, CEO, QuisLex.
I spoke with Abeer Abu Judeh, an attorney and the founder of LexDock, a legal operations software tool and marketplace. We discussed how LexDock is impacting the delivery of legal services and empowering the use of technology, the value of interoperability, and her participation in the TechWomen Rising accelerator program.
I spoke with Joey Seeber, the CEO of Level Legal, a provider of alternative legal services, about adapting to regulatory shifts, the skills necessary to thrive in the current environment, expected business challenges in 2022, and where legal practice is headed in 2022.
I spoke with Gary Sangha, the founder and CEO of LexCheck, an artificial intelligence-powered contract analytics company. He is also the founder of Intelligize, a data analytics company that Lexis Nexis acquired in 2016. We discussed the appetite for AI-driven solutions in the legal industry, the top misconception among those exploring ways to leverage AI at their firms or in their legal departments, and where legal teams are deploying AI most effectively.
I spoke with Dan O’Day and Ted Kukorowski, co-founder and managing director for large law, respectively, at ECFx, a provider of an electronic notice management system. We discussed law firm challenges in litigation management, the value of automation in litigation, and how technology can align the range of electronic filing protocols around the country.
I spoke with Dr. Susan Liautaud, the founder and managing director of Susan Liautaud & Associates Limited, a consultancy advising corporate, government, and non-profit leaders on ethics matters, and the author of The Power of Ethics: How to Make Good Choices in a Complicated World. We discussed best practices for making good choices, how professionals can overcome bad choices, and ethics-related challenges students face as they address changing workplace dynamics.
I spoke with Shiran Weitzman, the co-founder and CEO of Shield, an Israel-based regtech software company that focuses on workplace intelligence for compliance professionals. We discussed the main challenge in financial services communications compliance, how the pandemic impacted the way organizations communicate and exchange information, record-keeping challenges associated with working remotely, and post-pandemic regulatory scrutiny.
I spoke with Rob Stote, the managing director of profitability products at BigHand, a provider of financial and operational productivity software, Michael Grupp, the CEO of BRYTER, a no-code software platform, and Tom Obermaier, the CEO of SurePoint Technologies, a provider of financial and practice management software about the report – Implementing Financial Intelligence to Give Law Firms a Competitive Advantage in 2022 and Beyond – that the three companies commissioned to identify key trends among law firm financial leaders.
I spoke with Christy Burke, president and founder of Burke & Company, a public relations and marketing firm specializing in legal tech, and Doug Austin, editor of eDiscovery Today, a publication covering the electronic discovery industry, about their new podcast: He Said, She Said. We discussed the first episode focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, the key takeaways, topics for future programs, and trends driving e-discovery and legal technology forward.
I spoke with T.J. Duane, the co-founder and CEO of Index Solutions, a software platform that combines process automation with a labor marketplace to audit and update CRM data. We discussed how Index Solutions works, the benefits of supplementing process automation with human talent, advice for lawyers seeking careers as entrepreneurs, and how professional services firms will use data in the future.
I spoke with Jerry Ting, the co-founder and CEO of Evisort, a provider of contract management and artificial intelligence technology solutions. We discussed how organizations leverage dashboarding and redlining for their contract management, ways that law departments can distinguish CLM software providers, the benefits of learning legal tech entrepreneurship in law school, and the Future of Contracting conference.
I spoke with Gabriel Buigas, the new executive vice president and head of contracts, compliance, and commercial services at Integreon, an alternative legal and global managed services provider. We discussed how organizations are leveraging technology to manage their contracts, the contracting challenges organizations should expect in 2022, and advice for legal professionals seeking alternative career paths beyond law firms and legal departments.
I spoke with Zelda Owens, the founder, and CEO of Owens Williams & Associates, a career development coaching company focused on supporting legal professionals. We discussed the current job market, the value of a career check-up, and creative ways to empower your legal career.
I spoke with Astrid Kohlmeier, a lawyer, consultant on legal design, and co-author with Meera Klemola of The Legal Design Book: Doing Law In The 21st Century. We discussed what organizations that apply legal design have in common, how legal teams can quickly incorporate design into their activities, the challenges of creating a design-centric culture, and how legal design is driving the legal profession forward.
I spoke with Dean Gonsowski, the chief revenue officer and chief marketing officer at ActiveNav, a data privacy and governance software provider. We discussed the challenges that ActiveNav is helping organizations overcome, its Data Mapping as a Service initiative, Zero Dark Data, and the relationship between information governance and privacy.
I spoke with Ian Campbell the president and CEO of iCONECT, a developer of e-discovery software. We discussed how the e-discovery sector has changed over the past two decades, what should leaders consider when adapting to market shifts, where litigants are finding the most success with artificial intelligence, and iCONECT’s recent purchase of the source code to Ayfie’s Inspector technology.
I spoke with Alex Hamilton, the CEO of Radiant Law, a new law UK firm focused on contracts, and the author of SIGN HERE: The Enterprise Guide to Closing Contracts Quickly. How the increased familiarity with the value of ALSPs has impacted Radiant’s work, his inspiration for writing SIGN HERE, whether the form and purpose of contacts have evolved, and how legal departments can filter through the noise of contract management processes and technology to identify what is best for their organizations.
I spoke with Teju Deshpande and Mark Ross, who are principals with Deloitte Legal Business Services. We discussed the mission of Deloitte Legal Business Services, how the pandemic has impacted interest in CLM, how companies can realize immediate benefits from leveraging AI, and where CLM is headed.
I spoke with Mikhail Arsentiev, a lawyer and the founder of Skylex, a mobile application designed to help consumers find an immigration lawyer. We discussed the genesis of Skylex, how the pandemic has impacted the need for immigration lawyers, and developments in the way lawyers interact with their clients.
I spoke with Ishan Girdhar, the founder and CEO of Privaa, a software company that focuses on third-party risk management. We discussed how the pandemic has changed the way companies perceive and manage risk, pitfalls that risk management teams should avoid, ways that law firms are responding to the rise in data breaches and cybersecurity concerns, and where third-party risk management is headed.
I spoke with Stuart Clarke, the head of product for Blackdot Solutions in Cambridge, England, which is an open-source data platform that helps organizations investigate data risks. We discussed the impact of remote work on financial crimes, best practices for financial institutions interested in limiting financial crimes, and the link between environmental conservation and financial crime.
I spoke with Nehal Madhani, the founder and CEO of Alt Legal, a company that provides trademark docketing software. We discussed the challenges that Alt Legal helps trademark professionals address, its 2021 Alt Legal Connect virtual conference, what attendees can expect, and how events are evolving.
I spoke with Haley Altman, the global head of corporate development for Litera, a software company that provides document lifecycle and deal management solutions to the legal profession. She was the founder of Doxly, which Litera acquired two years ago. We discussed how the legal technology companies that Litera has purchased connect, the ways that Litera Transact has evolved, and how technology will impact the future of deal management.
I spoke with Don Keller and Jim Brock, the CEO and chief product officer, respectively, at Joinder, a project management software platform for corporate legal departments. We discussed why a centralized project management platform is so important for law departments, how the increased use of technology by professionals in legal has impacted the overall comfort level, and whether law firms should focus on developing new technology.
I spoke with David Perla, the co-chief operating officer at Burford Capital, a leading provider of capital to the legal market. We discussed Burford’s 2021 Legal Asset Report, why it is important to talk to chief financial officers about legal assets, how CFO’s view affirmative recovery and legal cost management programs, and how corporate finance and corporate legal can collaborate more effectively.
I spoke with Vishal Rajpara, a co-founder and the chief technology officer at Casepoint, and Dana Wesley Sarti, a litigation support manager at Robbins, Russell, Englert, Orseck & Untereiner LLP. We discussed how legal teams are using AI within their eDiscovery workflow, the benefits of using AI and advanced analytics, the value of analytics in modern litigation, and how litigators are using machine learning to reduce the time and expense of review.
I spoke with William Morriss, a co-founder and the technology innovation advisor at IP Toolworks, which is a software platform that helps attorneys respond to rejections from the US Patent and Trademark Office. We discussed how companies are using technology to change the way they negotiate to obtain patents, the importance of the patent examiner to any given matter, best practices for preparing for an examiner interview, and how patent practices are evolving.
I spoke with Collin Williams, the founder and chairman of New Era ADR, a platform designed to help litigants reimagine how they resolve disputes. We discussed the biggest problem in litigation today, how to reshape traditional alternative dispute resolution, and how litigation is evolving.
I spoke with Raymond Millien, the new CEO of Harness, Dickey & Pierce, an intellectual property boutique with four offices and headquarters in suburban Detroit. We discussed how in-house experience can help law firm leaders, techniques for understanding and connecting with clients in a remote environment, changing client expectations, and how law firms with a specific focus can maintain their competitive advantage in a shifting legal landscape.
I spoke with Jay Sheldon, the general manager of the Equinox Golf Resort and Spa in Manchester, Vermont. We discussed ways to create unique client experiences, how hospitality and general client preferences have changed in the pandemic, and how organizations are adapting to a dynamically shifting business climate.
I spoke with Bill Piwonka, the chief marketing officer for Exterro, a provider of software for legal teams to defensibly manage their legal governance, risk, and compliance requirements. We discussed why legal professionals should leverage tools that provide automation and scalability, how e-discovery can realize additional benefits from artificial intelligence, and how AI is evolving.
I spoke with Colin Li, the chief financial officer and chief revenue officer for Paradigm, a suite of practice management solutions for law firms, and Chad Todd, the co-founder of TrustBooks, a legal accounting software platform, which Paradigm recently acquired. We discussed how TrustBooks aligns with Paradigm’s suite of products, ways that it differs from other accounting solutions available to attorneys, and Paradigm’s long-term vision for its technology portfolio.
I spoke with Mike Mandell, a lawyer with Mandell Law in California, who educates the public about the law through social media. We discussed how he produces content for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, his process for selecting topics for his videos, the message he conveys to consumers, and how he sees the use of content-driven social media tools for lawyers evolving.
I spoke with Jennifer Martinez, the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and a partner at Hanson Bridgett. We discussed the policies and programs that have helped the firm support its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, its Agile Workforce Initiative, and ways that clients are driving change.
I spoke with Ed Sohn, the head of solutions at Factor, a provider of managed services. We discussed Factor’s Legal Transaction Optimization service for law firms, how law firms benefit from collaborating with ALSPs, and the impact of working from home on this alliance.
I spoke with Daria Shunina, the head of international startup relations for the Skolkovo Foundation, an innovation center in Russia focused on attracting foreign companies to the country’s innovation ecosystem. We discussed Skolkovo’s mission, the objective of the Soft Landing program, and how interest in legal tech innovation is evolving in Russia.
I spoke with Jim Delkousis, the founder and CEO of PERSUIT, a software platform that facilitates a competitive process for sourcing outside legal counsel. We discussed the transition from law firm partner to legal tech founder, the challenges that law department leaders face in selecting their outside counsel, and how the relationship between law firms and law departments is evolving.
I spoke with Andre Wouansi, the founder and managing partner of Accurate Legal Billing, a time entry platform that uses artificial intelligence to help law firms align their invoices with e-billing guidelines. We discussed common mistakes lawyers make when entering their time, how to use artificial intelligence to analyze a law firm’s invoices, and the challenges associated with using AI to interpret unique time entries.
I spoke with Michael Ellenhorn, the founder and CEO of Decipher Investigative Intelligence, a firm that develops actionable intelligence to guide law firms in developing successful lateral hiring programs and strategies. We discussed the current market in law firm hiring, how law firms are searching for fully or partially remote positions, best practices for law firm leaders to attract talent, and how hiring is evolving.
I spoke with Catie Butt, an Executive Director with A&O Consulting, which is a division within Allen & Overy that advises corporate legal teams in a number of areas including business and legal function transformation. We discussed the genesis of the firm’s Advanced Delivery & Solutions team, how it collaborates with the firm’s practicing lawyers, and the challenges that the legal industry is likely to face in 2021 and beyond.
I spoke with Thomas Franklin, a senior partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton in Denver focused on patent law and the founder of Triangle IP, a software platform that facilitates the idea capture process. We discussed the challenges of capturing innovation, how software can help the process, and how technology is impacting innovation strategies.
I spoke with Olivier Chaduteau, the founder and managing partner of Day One, a consulting firm focused on legal and compliance. We discussed the impact of digital innovation on the legal profession, how lawyers are adapting to a changing market, and the pandemic’s effect on how lawyers manage their legal and compliance matters.
I spoke with Elisabeth Steele Hutchison, the director of admissions at the University of Hawai’i School of Law, and the founder of Work from Home University, a consultancy that teaches lawyers how to use Zoom more effectively. We discussed a range of best practices for online meetings and the skills that are necessary to thrive in legal moving forward.
I spoke with Rafael Moscatel, the Director of Privacy Compliance for CAPP, a privacy consultancy, and the co-author of Tomorrow’s Jobs Today: Wisdom And Career Advice From Thought Leaders In Ai, Big Data, Blockchain, The Internet Of Things, Privacy, And More. We discussed the impact of technology on a variety of careers and how individuals can prepare for that change.
I spoke with Christophe Frèrebeau, co-founder and CEO of Della, a contract review platform. We discussed the connection between artificial intelligence and natural language processing, how solutions of this type are evolving, and changes in the delivery of legal services.
I spoke with Paul Unger, a partner with Affinity Consulting, and the author of Tame the Digital Chaos: A Lawyer’s Guide to Distraction, Time, Task & Email Management. We discussed his inspiration for the book, creative ways that professionals can manage their time more effectively and peacefully, key strategies for email management.
I spoke with Mike Hewitt, the CEO of vTestify, which provides virtual deposition software that allows attorneys to conduct depositions, client intake sessions, arbitrations, and similar proceedings remotely. We discussed how remote proceedings have impacted the careers of court reporters, best practices for remote adversarial engagement, the company’s partnership with Esquire Deposition Solutions, and how legal teams will balance remote activity when the courts reopen at full in-person capacity.
I spoke with Erez Bustan, the CEO of American LegalNet, a leading cloud and mobile litigation platform. We discussed the launch of ALN Cloud, the company’s new report (on which I was privileged to collaborate) – The Future of Litigation Workflow: Reimagining Technology and Process in the Next Decade, how litigation will change in a post-pandemic environment.
I spoke with Terrie Campbell, the CEO of Esquire Deposition Solutions, a national provider of remote and in-person deposition solutions for law firms, insurance companies, and corporate legal departments. We discussed how court reporting has changed in a remote litigation environment, its new partnership with vTestify to offer a new secure virtual deposition platform, and the trajectory of remote proceedings.
I spoke with Aaron Street, the co-founder and CEO of Lawyerist.com, one of the largest online communities of small firm lawyers. He is a co-host of the weekly Lawyerist Podcast and is the co-author of The Small Firm Roadmap. We discussed the growth of Lawyerist, the challenges that solo practitioners and small firm lawyers faced from the pandemic, solutions for that community, and Lawyerist’s strategic investment in The Law Practice Exchange.
I spoke with Steve Harber, the executive chairman, and Charles Post, the executive vice president, at Compliance, an integrated e-discovery and contract analytics provider. We discussed aligning e-discovery and contract analytics, the synergies in leveraging AI to empower that combination, and how legal teams can take advantage of new technology to address longstanding challenges.
I spoke with Chris Cartrett, an executive vice president at Aderant, a global business management software provider for law firms. We discussed the company’s Business of Law and Legal Technology Survey, the tools that proved most valuable to law firms in the past year, the elements of virtual events that will endure, and how law firm technology will evolve in a hybrid workplace.
I spoke with Greg Wildisen, the co-founder and head of technology for Panoram Digital, an enterprise legal technology consulting firm based in the U.K. We discussed the challenges to which legal teams are most commonly applying technology, best practices for selecting the right tool for a given matter, the impact of Microsoft 365, and how legal departments are evolving.
I spoke with Ian Nelson, the co-founder of Hotshot, a leading provider of digital learning programs for lawyers. We discussed how short videos and interactive applications help lawyers practice, the aspects of remote learning the company emphasized during the pandemic, and how professional development will evolve in 2021.
I spoke with Tjeerd Van Ginkel, the founder of Innovatie Meester and an Amsterdam-based freelance innovation manager, who helps law firms and legal departments innovate. He is the former head of innovation at De Brauw, one of the largest law firms in the Netherlands. We discussed how law firms and legal departments should approach innovation, mistakes some are making, and client-facing innovation that makes a difference.
I spoke with Bonnie Beuth, the Information Systems Trainer for Ford Harrison, and Rachel Baiden, the Global Technology Training Manager at Squire Patton Boggs, who are two of the founding members of the Legal Technology Core Competency Certification Coalition – LTC4, which is a non-profit consortium of law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and attorneys from around the world that have established industry-standard core competencies for legal technology. We discussed how the LTC4 has evolved over the past decade, what distinguishes its learning plan format, lawyer technological competency requirements, and how the LTC4 distinguishes its certification.
I spoke with Tom Obermaier, the CEO of SurePoint Technologies, a provider of financial and practice management software to law firms nationwide. We discussed how SurePoint has evolved under his leadership, the company’s investment from Aquiline Capital Partners, negotiating the transaction virtually, ways that sophisticated investors support the management of legal technology companies, rebranding, and where legal tech is headed.
I spoke with Susan Duncan, a law firm management consultant, who helps firms and lawyers develop more business through client service and loyalty programs, She is also the author of Building Enduring Client Loyalty: A Guide for Lawyers and Their Firms. We discussed how she defines client loyalty, the challenges to earning it, and strategies for solidifying stronger relationships with clients in a post-pandemic environment.
I spoke with Niko Jakobsson, the Secretary General of the Finnish Bar Association in Helsinki, Finland. We discussed how the Finnish Bar Association empowers its members through technology, ways that lawyers in Finland are using technology, the pandemic’s impact on the work of the Finnish Bar Association, and the different skills required to lead a bar association.
I spoke with Chris Vorderer, Managing Director of Firm Intelligence at Litera, a software company that provides meaningful intelligence to the legal profession, and Pieter van der Hoeven, the co-founder and CEO at Clocktimizer, a business intelligence platform designed to help law firms make data-driven decisions related to matter management, budgeting, and pricing, which Litera recently acquired. We discussed the acquisition, why business intelligence has become so important in the legal sector, and the enhanced opportunities for legal tech companies in a remote environment.
I spoke with Ian Nolan, the co-founder and CEO of Brightflag, a legal spend and matter management software platform for corporate legal departments. We discussed the value of legal spend management for in-house teams, how law departments can apply artificial intelligence to optimize their operations, and how legal departments are transforming their operations as they return to a central office.
I spoke with Dan Binstock, a legal recruiter and co-owner of Garrison & Sisson, a leading attorney search firm. He is also the creator of the Virtual Piano Party. We discussed the state of the legal job market, the genesis of the Virtual Piano Party, and the secret to engaging attendees on Zoom events.
I spoke with Grover Cleveland, the author of Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: The Essential Guide to Thriving as a New Lawyer, who provides practical skills webinars for associates and summer associates. We discussed how firms navigated summer associate programming in 2020 and how they will do so in 2021, his playbook for virtual summer programs, and how legal professionals can develop better habits in showcasing their talent and ability.
I spoke with Jason Boehmig, the co-founder and CEO of Ironclad, a digital contracting platform used by companies around the world. We discussed the genesis of Ironclad, the transition from large firm lawyer to legal tech entrepreneur, the popularity of the CLM sector, the emergence of digital contracting, and the alignment between CLM and the growth of legal operations.
I spoke with Andrew King, the New Zealand-based founder of Legal Innovate, E-Discovery Consulting, and the LegalTechHub, as well as the producer of the LawFest conference. We discussed how he navigated the uncertainty in the planning process for LawFest, surprises from the event, what conference organizers should know when planning events in a post-COVID era, and how legal events will evolve.
I spoke with Margaret Burke, the managing director at Kolibri Law Support Solutions, a subscription-based suite of legal management and business services for law firms with a focus on helping them improve profitability by reducing overhead and enhancing operational efficiency. We discussed how the needs of law firms have changed in the pandemic, the advantages of outsourcing, and building trust with external resources.
I spoke with Michael McIlwrath, an attorney, who spent more than two decades leading international litigation for General Electric’s oil and gas division, and until March of 2021, for Baker Hughes Company. He is the co-author of a new book for lawyers working internationally called Negotiating International Commercial Contracts: Practical Exercises. We discussed his inspiration for the book, the value of the practical exercises included in the book, the impact of unintentional negotiating, how the pandemic has impacted international arbitration, and how it will evolve.
I spoke with Debbie Foster, the managing partner of Affinity Consulting, a company focused on optimizing law firm performance. We discussed how successful law firms have maintained their operations in the pandemic, ways that they have automated and digitized their workflows, whether working remotely will remain a permanent component of legal practice, and best practices for firms that are returning to a central office.
I spoke with Jackie Schafer, the founder of Clearbrief, a platform that uses AI to improve the accuracy of legal writing and the experience of the reader. We discussed how Clearbrief works, the technology behind Clearbrief, how this software is impacting the legal profession, and how this technology could change the way law schools teach legal writing.
I spoke with Nicolas Leroux, the founder and CEO of Kalexius, an alternative legal services provider. We discussed the genesis of Kalexius, the difference between an ALSP and a legal technology company, how in-house legal teams can incorporate an ALSP into their portfolio of service providers, and ways that law department leaders can persuade other stakeholders to adopt their approach.
I spoke with Ram Vasudevan, the founder and CEO of QuisLex, a provider of alternative legal services. We discussed the genesis of QuisLex, how the company has enhanced client service in the remote environment, managing the return to in-person activities, and where the ALSP market is headed.
I spoke with Jim Leipold, the executive director of NALP, the National Association for Law Placement, which is an organization focused on career counseling and planning, recruitment and retention, and the professional development of law students, lawyers, and its members. We discussed how the organization’s mission has changed over the past half-century as it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2021, ways that law firms have adapted their approach to recruiting and training during the pandemic, and how the next generation of lawyers can thrive.
I spoke with Tobias Heining, the Berlin-based director of business, clients, and strategy for Osborne Clarke Germany. We discussed new ways that professionals are approaching business and client development, best practices for engaging with clients and prospects remotely, changes that law firms have made that will remain permanent when legal professionals return full-time to their central offices, and how technology has helped lawyers engage during the pandemic.
I am speaking today with Andrea Cannavina, the founder of LegalTypist, a virtual assistant service focused on the legal profession that is celebrating its 20th anniversary. We discussed the genesis of LegalTypist, the increasing levels of self-sufficiency among lawyers during the pandemic, projects that are best-suited to a virtual assistant, and advice for those interested in building a business that serves the legal profession.
I spoke with Jerry Ting, the founder and CEO of Evisort, an AI-powered CLM software platform. We discussed the difference between an AI-powered CLM platform and CLM, how Evisort will leverage its recent investment, the need for legal tech companies to prove their claims in this climate, and how the expectations of clients have changed in the remote environment.
I spoke with Janet Falk, the founder of Falk Communications and Research, which provides public relations and marketing communications guidance to solo practitioners and small law firms, as well as to business executives and consultants. We discussed the value of media relations for attorneys, how they can introduce themselves to reporters as authoritative sources, what legal professionals can do to be more quotable, and the types of articles professionals should publish.
I spoke with Patricia LeBel-Lasse, a litigation paralegal and litigation support professional with Pullman & Comley, a law firm with offices in Connecticut and Massachusetts. She is a member of the global advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. We discussed the advantages for paralegals who become adept in e-discovery, why paralegals are best-suited to translate between legal and IT, and how the training of a traditional paralegal sets the foundation for more advanced litigation support.
I spoke with Tony Donofrio, the chief technology officer for Veritext Legal Solutions, a company that provides deposition and litigation support solutions. We discussed pre-pandemic impressions of remote depositions, challenges that legal professionals needed to overcome when conducting remote depositions early in the pandemic, the experience between remote and in-person proceedings, and where the sector is headed.
I spoke with Kenya Parrish-Dixon, the general counsel and chief operating officer for Empire Technologies Risk Management Group, a cybersecurity, information governance, e-discovery, and managed review consulting company. She is also a member of the global advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. We discussed how the pandemic has impacted the perception of cybersecurity, information governance, and e-discovery, and the Association of Corporate Counsel’s new Data Steward Program.
I spoke with Brian Schrader, the president and CEO of BIA, a provider of e-discovery services and digital forensics. We discussed 2021 trends impacting the e-discovery sector, permanent changes from the pandemic, the challenges that collaboration platforms pose to litigants, and the shifting regulatory landscape for data privacy.
I spoke with Rick Hellers and Bill Bice, the co-founder and CEO, respectively of nQ Zebraworks, formed from the merger of Zebraworks and nQueue, which provides scanning and routing, print management. cost recovery technology, and cloud-based integration tools for the business and practice of law. We discussed legal industry surprises during the pandemic, how firms should manage their return to a physical office, techniques for extending a firm’s technology infrastructure, where legal teams are focused in 2021.
I spoke with Esther Cho, a shareholder and the chair of the executive committee at Keesal, Young & Logan, who also serves on the firm’s diversity and inclusion committee. We discussed balancing firm leadership with an active legal practice, how the firm is managing the transition from remote to in-person activities, maintaining firm culture in a virtual environment, and facilitating meaningful conversations about diversity and inclusion.
I spoke with Dean Sappey, the president and co-founder of DocsCorp, a software company that develops a range of document productivity and security tools for law firms. We discussed DocsCorp’s global strategy, its acquisitions of Docuble and Verowave Technologies, features that clients are requesting, and strategies for approaching growth in an uncertain business climate.
I spoke with Rick Merrill, the founder and CEO of Gavelytics, a litigation analytics company. We discussed why research into litigation analytics has become so attractive, how the approach to gathering and sharing data has changed, and the challenges associated with transitioning from practicing as a large firm lawyer to starting a legal tech company.
I spoke with Matt Kunkel, the co-founder and CEO of LogicGate, a SaaS platform that operationalizes regulatory, risk, and compliance programs. We discussed the genesis of LogicGate, the risk and compliance challenges that organizations are facing as a result of the pandemic, the impact of automation on risk and compliance, and how the regulatory landscape will change in 2021.
I spoke with Varun Mehta, the CEO of Factor, an organization focused on performing complex legal work at scale. We discussed the challenges that Factor helps clients solve, the competitive landscape in managed services, opportunities and challenges in the current distributed workplace, and the pandemic-induced developments that could remain permanent.
I spoke with Chris Dahl, the executive vice president of product development and advisory services at Lighthouse, a provider of e-discovery and information governance technology and services. We discussed Lighthouse Prism, the company’s new artificial intelligence and big data analytics platform, the biggest e-discovery review challenge clients are facing now, how the legal community is generally using AI tools, and where the use of AI in legal is headed in 2021.
I spoke with Jim Vint, a co-founder and the chief revenue officer at Breakwater Solutions, a provider of consulting, managed services, and technology for data risk. We discussed the importance of combining consulting with managed services and technology, how the pandemic has changed the way legal teams are approaching e-discovery and data risk, and the increased use of artificial intelligence in litigation support.
I spoke with Lutz-Christian Wolff, the dean of the faculty of law for the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the author of the newly published book, The Art of Law Teaching. We discussed the impact of replacing face-to-face teaching with remote learning, how a teacher can incorporate their personality, humor, and energy into online classes, and how law school needs to adapt to a world where machines are performing more legal tasks.
I spoke with Rob MacAdam, the vice president of product at BusyLamp, a legal operations platform for spend, matter, and document management, and the host of the Legaltech Arcade podcast. We discussed the differences between what one can accomplish in an innovation role within a law firm versus with a technology company, emerging workplace productivity trends, the rise of disaggregation and interoperability, and legal technology trends that will emerge from the pandemic.
I spoke with Knut-Magnar Aanestad, the country manager and head of market development at Maigon.io, an artificial intelligence application for contracts analytics, and the founder of Sebra Lawtech, a consulting firm focused on transforming the legal profession. We discussed the genesis of Sebra Lawtech, how the pandemic has impacted the way legal teams leverage AI, the features that potential users of AI should look for when making a decision, and where the contract analytics sector is headed.
I spoke with Tyrone Thomas, a vice president and deputy general counsel at Invenergy and the founder of Conversation For Six, a non-profit organization focused on expanding ongoing discussions about food insecurity. We discussed best practices for balancing community-focused work and a legal practice, how COVID-19 has affected the hunger crisis, and the impact of the pandemic on the legal community’s interest in starting charitable initiatives.
I spoke with Patrice Asimakis and Naseeha Machingal, the director of legal services and the client success and partnerships lead, respectively, for LegalEase Solutions, a provider of alternative legal services. We discussed the importance of forming partnerships in the current climate, how the pandemic has impacted client expectations, and where the market for alternative legal services is headed in 2021.
I spoke with Amy Hinzmann, the president, and Marla Crawford, the general counsel, respectively, for Compliance, an integrated e-discovery services and managed review provider. We discussed how Compliance has evolved since it was founded over 20 years ago, the e-discovery issues that in-house counsel are most concerned about, how in-house teams are managing discovery remotely, and where e-discovery is headed.
I spoke with Doug Lusk, the founder of the National Society for Legal Technology, a training and certifying organization focused on empowering students and professionals with advanced technical skills. We discussed the skills that legal professionals need to thrive in today’s economy, how the NSLT curriculum helps participants draw connections between e-discovery, cybersecurity, and related fields to gain a competitive advantage, and the NSLT’s alliance with ACEDS.
I spoke with Noah Waisberg, the co-founder and CEO of Kira Systems, a leading AI-powered contract analysis software company, and the co-author with Dr. Alexander Hudek of AI For Lawyers: How Artificial Intelligence is Adding Value, Amplifying Expertise, and Transforming Careers (Wiley, February 3, 2021). We discussed the growth of Kira Systems, his inspiration for AI For Lawyers, how AI is changing the law, and where it is headed.
I spoke with Andrea Miskolczi, the Europe Director of Innovation at Dentons, a global law firm. We discussed the definition of innovation, the importance of developing an intrapreneurial mindset in a law firm, the need for creativity, and best practices for demystifying the legal transformation process.
I spoke with Dr. Eric Cole, the founder of Secure Anchor Consulting, a provider of cybersecurity solutions and services. We discussed the most significant cybersecurity issues that law firms and law department leaders should be aware of in 2021, how the pandemic has changed the way organizations manage their cybersecurity, and the potential threats that professionals could face in the coming year.
I spoke with Martin Coen, the CEO, and Graham Smith-Bernal, the founder and executive chairman, of Opus2, a software and services company that supports lawyers around the world. We discussed Opus 2’s growth strategy in the current market, how courts will balance virtual and hybrid proceedings moving forward, and the evolution of how lawyers use technology.
I spoke with Michael Potters, the co-founder and CEO of the Glenmont Group, a leading recruiting firm in the legal industry. We discussed how recruiting has evolved over the past two decades, the positions that are in highest demand today, how the Glenmont Group pivoted in the pandemic, the qualities and types of experience on which employers are focused, advice for candidates, and tips for employers interested in securing the best talent in 2021.
I spoke with Jennifer Bantelman the Senior Director of Solutions Engineering at Zapproved, a cloud-based software company that builds e-discovery tools for corporate legal, from legal holds through processing and review. We discussed the E-Discovery Hero Awards, its mission, the honorees, and reimagining the event for a virtual world.
I spoke with Roman Zelichenko, an attorney and the founder of both GMI Rocket, a marketing firm for immigration lawyers, and LaborLess, a cloud-based software platform for H-1B visa compliance. We discussed the genesis of both companies, the value of digitizing traditionally paper-based processes, the unique nature of marketing for immigration lawyers, how the pandemic has impacted the way lawyers market, ways that marketing will change in 2021.
I spoke with Andy Wishart, the Chief Product Officer at Agiloft, a provider of software for contract and commerce lifecycle management. We discussed his new role at the company, how remote working and the pandemic have impacted CLM solutions, and where the sector is headed.
I spoke with Justin Hectus, the chief information officer of Keesal Young & Logan and of the firm’s technology spin-off, KP Labs. We discussed the 2020 BTI Client Services All-Stars 2020 list, to which he was named and the only allied professional among the 475 winners to receive that acknowledgment, what distinguishes his approach to client service, what makes a law firm CIO indispensable, and how law firms are approaching new technology in 2021.
I spoke with Tracy LaLonde, the founder of the professional development consultancy Xaphes and the author of The Joychiever Journey: Evade Burnout, Surpass Your Goals and Out-Happy Everyone (James House Media, November 30, 2020). We discussed her inspiration for writing The Joychiever Journey, whether legal professionals are happy, best practices for finding joy in your work, and the link between joy and innovation.
I spoke with Tom Obermaier, the CEO of SurePoint Technologies, a provider of financial and practice management software to law firms nationwide. We discussed how the increased adoption of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics is changing the work of legal professionals, the best practices that law firms should implement before they incorporate A.I. processes into their workflows, and whether the billable hour inhibits a firm’s ability to fully deploy technology.
I spoke with Eimear McCann, a former practicing lawyer and the head of strategy at Summize, a contract automation platform. We discussed her move from practice to legal tech, how Summize supplements the technology that legal teams already use, how professionals can ensure that legal tech solutions solve practical problems, the trajectory of the contract automation sector.
I spoke with Nick Whitehouse, the general manager of the Onit AI Center of Excellence, which is Onit‘s centralized initiative to incorporate AI into its suite of software tools. We discussed the recent acquisition of his company, McCarthyFinch, artificial intelligence trends of which in-house lawyers should be aware, how can AI enhance customer support in legal departments, and ways that the pandemic has affected the impression of AI.
spoke with Darrell Mervau, the president of FileTrail, and David Worth, the chief information officer at Nelson Mullins. We discuss how the role of the CIO and most technology leaders has evolved in law firms, the increased interest in information governance, what to expect from an IG solution, and where the sector is headed.
I spoke with Rakesh Madhava, the founder and CEO of Nextpoint, a company that develops e-discovery and trial prep software. We discussed the genesis of Nextpoint, how the pandemic has changed e-discovery, and where e-discovery is headed.
One of the initiatives that Ari Kaplan Advisors launched in 2020 was a periodic CEO Roundtable to address trends, challenges, and objectives with market leaders. During the fifth and final conversation of the year, I discussed lessons learned, silver linings, and the road ahead with: Haresh Bhungalia, CEO, Casepoint; Kiwi Camara, CEO, DISCO; Ian Campbell, CEO, iCONECT; Craig Carpenter, CEO, X1; Dana Denis-Smith, CEO, Obelisk Support; Steve Fredette, CEO, The BARBRI Group; Keith Laska, CEO, Hanzo; Kim Massana, CEO, Neota Logic; Soumya Nettimi, CEO, ASG Legal Tech; Tim Pullan, CEO, ThoughtRiver; and, Chris Stock, CEO, PCLaw | Time Matters.
I spoke with George Socha, the Senior Vice President of Brand Awareness for Reveal, an e-discovery software company, and a member of the advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. He is also the co-founder of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model. We discussed his new role, the role of AI in e-discovery, the eDiscovery Leaders weekly video program on the ACEDS network, the value of a CEDS certification, and how the pandemic is changing e-discovery.
I spoke with Scott Wallingford, the Vice President and General Manager of LexisNexis’ Law Firm Software Solutions business unit. We discussed the new LexisNexis Interaction business development initiative, how law firms can identify new strategies and tactics in their 2021 business plans, and the most effective business development techniques for the New Year.
I spoke with Victoria Blake, the senior director of product at Zapproved, a cloud-based software company that builds e-discovery tools for corporate legal, from legal holds through processing and review. We discussed the E-Discovery Unfiltered report, how the pandemic has impacted the way legal teams manage litigation, what litigants should understand about e-discovery, why the appetite for the cloud is so strong, and how e-discovery will evolve in 2021.
I spoke with Jeff Catanzaro, the executive vice president of contracts, compliance, and commercial services at Integreon, a global managed services provider, and Ajay Agrawal the co-founder and chairman of SirionLabs, a provider of artificial intelligence-powered contract lifecycle management technology. We discussed the partnership between Integreon and SirionLabs, why the contract lifecycle management sector has become so popular, how the pandemic has impacted the growth of contract lifecycle management, and whether corporate legal departments are taking a greater interest in leveraging technology to solve business problems.
I spoke with Pieter van der Hoeven, the co-founder and CEO of Clocktimizer, a business intelligence platform designed to help law firms make data-driven decisions related to matter management, budgeting, and pricing. We discussed the current challenges for law firm leaders, pricing managers, and legal project management professionals, why firms need to analyze their data in the current climate, and how legal professionals can distinguish themselves in 2021.
I spoke with Zolo Mundur, the CEO of Codelex, a Mongolia-based developer of legal technology and the creator of a lawyer-to-lawyer legal document marketplace called Lexub. We discussed the genesis of Lexub, how the legal document marketplace is evolving, and where legal tech in Mongolia is headed.
I spoke with Megan O’Flynn, the assistant general counsel at the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), and Doug Donahue, a partner in the finance practice at Linklaters in New York City. We discussed ISDA Create, a collaboration between the association and Linklaters, how developing tools with outside counsel can impact client expectations, and ways that projects of this type can influence the attorney/client relationship.
I spoke with Maya Markovich, the Chief Growth Officer at Nextlaw Labs, and one of ILTA’s five “Influential Women of Legal Tech” for 2020. We discussed the skills that future lawyers will need to succeed and how can they obtain them, how the entrepreneurial mindset aligns with how lawyers approach problem-solving, and ways that the pandemic has affected innovation in legal.
I spoke with Steven Walker, a managing director with Deloitte Legal Business Services, where he is responsible for legal management consulting, spend management, and legal operations services. We discussed the objective of the legal business services team, how the pandemic is reshaping the delivery of legal services, what legal teams can expect in 2021, and how the relationship between outside counsel and their clients is evolving.
I spoke with Brad Blickstein and Bea Seravello, the co-leaders of the New Law practice at Baretz+Brunelle, a strategic advisory communications firm. We discussed the genesis of the New Law practice group and its recent report: Home Court Advantage: The Am Law 100 Moves Into Alternative Legal Services. We also spoke about the mini-maturity model for captive ALSPs and the Blickstein Group’s Annual Law Department Operations Survey.
I spoke with Jackie Donner, the co-founder and CEO of Lawflex, an alternative legal services provider based in Israel, teaming experienced lawyers with law firms, financial institutions, and other corporations on a flexible basis. We discussed the genesis of Lawflex, how the pandemic has impacted the use of alternative legal services, and where she sees the greatest opportunity for growth.
I spoke with Chris Stock, the CEO of PCLaw | Time Matters and a member of LEAP’s board of directors as he is the former CEO of LEAP USA. We discussed the key challenges that law firms are facing today, how law firms are adapting to the pandemic, advice for law firms that are struggling now, how the pandemic has affected legal technology generally, and the changes to the profession that will outlast the pandemic.
I spoke with Dean Sappey, the president and co-founder of DocsCorp, a software company that develops a range of document productivity and security tools for law firms. We discussed how the pandemic has impacted technology preferences in legal, which changes will remain permanent, DocsCorp’s acquisition of Verowave Technologies, and ways that productivity is shifting as a result of the virtual/work-from-home climate.
I spoke with Scott Mozarsky, a managing director with JEGI, a middle-market investment bank, who is leading the firm’s legal and compliance practice. We discussed the strength of the legal market, the enthusiasm for legal technology, what investors are looking for in legal, and where legal is headed.
I spoke with Robert Gray, the CEO of Legality Software, a subsidiary of Matters in Motion and a provider of custom-development solutions and other technology for legal professionals. We discussed the genesis of Legality Software, how the challenges of running a law firm changed, ways that the pandemic has forced the legal marketplace to change, and the benefits of the One Step Workspace.
I am speaking today with Rob Feigenbaum, the co-founder and CEO of Prevail Legal, a testimony management platform. We discussed the genesis of Prevail Legal, the appeal of the court reporting sector, the difference between using a trained court reporter and a testimony management platform to capture the record, and the impact of the pandemic on how professionals view remote reporting.
I spoke with Matt Mahon, the National Manager for Information Governance and eDiscovery Sales at Ricoh. We discussed the workplace communications challenges that e-discovery and information governance practitioners are facing, whether professional communication has become more casual in this remote and work-from-home environment, and the challenges associated with interpreting emojis.
I spoke with Katherine Porter, an executive coach for female attorneys and the founder of the Transition Navigator. We discussed how design thinking can enhance a professional’s work, its relationship to the practice of law, the advantages of incorporating a designer’s mindset to client service in legal, ways to overcome the barriers to using design thinking to improve law firm operations, and how it can help law firms through this period of uncertainty.
I spoke with Adrian Camara, the CEO of Athennian, a developer of legal entity management software. We discussed who uses legal entity management software, what the focus on legal entity management indicates about the changing nature of legal services, and the challenges associated with raising capital in the current environment.
I spoke with Soumya Nettimi and Sarah Schaaf, the CEO and general manager of payments, respectively, for ASG LegalTech, a platform of legal SaaS products including PracticePanther, Bill4Time, MerusCase, and now following its recent acquisition, Headnote, of which Sarah is a co-founder and the former CEO. We discussed the alignment of Headnote with ASG LegalTech’s suite of products, how the future of payments in legal is evolving, and what the appetite for a suite of technology tools indicates about the shift in the business of law.
I spoke with Johannes Stiehler, the CEO of ayfie Group, an Oslo-based company that provides technology for collecting and processing data from different silos using linguistic technology. We discussed the company’s mission, how the appeal of linguistic technology at law firms and corporate legal departments has evolved, and ayfie’s listing on the Merkur Market in Oslo in July of 2020.
I spoke with Phil Anthony, Ph.D., division president at DecisionQuest, a U.S. Legal Support company. We discussed how the pandemic has changed trial consulting, ways to adapt in-person litigation to a virtual environment, how legal professionals are approaching virtual depositions and trials, and reactions from jurors to COVID-19.
I spoke with Evan Shenkman, the senior director of knowledge management at Fisher Phillips, a labor and employment law firm. We discussed how knowledge management has changed over the past few months, the firm’s recent alliance with LegalMation and Thomson Reuters, how it will benefit clients and practitioners, and what the heightened focus on automation means for the future of the practice of law.
I spoke with Jared Correia, the founder and CEO at Red Cave Law Firm Consulting, and the co-founder of Gideon Software, a website chatbot and automatic scheduling tool built exclusively for law firms. We discussed the challenges that Gideon helps law firms address, ways that the pandemic impacts how lawyers approach and use technology, and advice for launching a consulting practice and a legal tech startup.
I spoke with Amy Osteen, the founder of Outside CLO, a service for corporations that need an outsourced chief legal officer. We discussed why a company would outsource its in-house counsel needs, how that work differs from outside counsel at a law firm, and how the pandemic has impacted the appeal of outsourced in-house counsel services.
I spoke with Carolyn Elefant, an attorney, who focuses her practice on energy and environmental matters. She is also the author of several books, including the popular, Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be, and has been blogging at MyShingle for almost 18 years. She is producing a virtual conference called the Lawyer Mom Owner Summit for lawyers who are moms that own or want to start a law firm. We discussed the Summit, what its attendees can expect, and how the practice of law has changed.
I spoke with Eric Laughlin, the CEO of Agiloft, a provider of contract and commercial lifecycle management software. We discussed his new role at Agiloft, how the pandemic has impacted the way companies leverage CLM, the overall market changes he is seeing, and the challenges associated with raising capital in the current environment.
I spoke with Ray Biederman, a partner with Mattingly Burke Cohen & Biederman in Indianapolis and the co-founder and CEO of Proteus Discovery Group and DiscoveryMaster. We discussed whether attorneys with large firm backgrounds should take the leap and start their own firms, the trend of attorneys and law firms to develop related businesses, and the most common misconceptions or frustrations about e-discovery.
I spoke with Nicole Clark, the co-founder and CEO of Trellis, a legal analytics platform that uses AI and machine learning to provide state trial court litigators with strategic legal intelligence and judicial analytics. We discussed what it will take for courts to return to a pre-pandemic level of activity and how the appetite for legal intelligence and judicial analytics is evolving.
I am speaking today with Daniel Gold, the leader of BDO‘s Managed Services practice. We discussed, the top three trends impacting the legal industry in 2020, the challenges and opportunities that legal professionals are likely to face in the next year, the litigation and compliance matters that have arisen in the pandemic, and how BDO’s Athenagy offering addresses them.
I spoke with Ab Saraswat, host of the popular Fringe Legal podcast and the vice president of international sales for Litera Microsystems, a software company that provides document lifecycle and deal management solutions to the legal profession. We discussed how international law firms have fared in the pandemic in comparison to their US counterparts, how knowledge management teams are elevating their influence, and the challenges and opportunities for legal professionals in the remote working environment.
I spoke with Matt Fawcett, the general counsel of NetApp, a Fortune 500 cloud data services and data management company. We discussed the challenges of designing and implementing a new approach to delivering a company’s legal services, ways to build trusted networks virtually, his 10th anniversary as NetApp’s General Counsel, the importance of gratitude, and his advice for thriving in the current environment.
I spoke with Curt Meltzer, the former chief information officer for various large law firms and an evangelist for Litera, a software company that provides document lifecycle and deal management solutions to the legal profession. We discussed why law firms are embracing the paperless office, how they are leveraging technology for digital transformation, and the impact of the remote working environment on software adoption.
I spoke with Terry Dohrman, a co-founder and the Chief Revenue Officer for Litify, the developer of a practice management software platform. We discussed how the case management needs of law firms and legal departments are changing, shifts in the way legal teams are managing their matters in the pandemic, and the catalyst for the company’s collaboration with Assure Disability.
I spoke with Anna McGrane, the chief operating officer and co-founder of PacerPro, a legal software service that improves access to PACER, and Joshua Fireman, the founder of Fireman & Company, a knowledge management and technology consultancy. We discussed Fireman & Co's white paper: Knowledge Management With PacerPro, how the use of PACER data aligns with knowledge management improvements at law firms, and ways that the pandemic has impacted KM initiatives at law firms.
I spoke with Anjie Vichayanonda, the founder of Leg Up Legal, a mentoring program and platform for prospective law students. We discussed the genesis of Leg Up Legal, the Virtual Legal Career Boot Camp, legal career challenges and opportunities, and whether you should enroll in law school this fall.
I spoke with Haley Altman, the global director of business development and strategy for Litera, a document lifecycle software provider. We discussed her transition from law firm partner to legal tech startup founder to senior executive at a software firm that acquired her company, Litera’s acquisition strategy, how the remote working environment has impacted the way Litera’s customers use its software, how the document lifecycle sector is evolving.
I spoke with Jonathan Greenblatt, the chairman and co-founder of Legal Innovators, an alternative legal services provider. We discussed the genesis of Legal Innovators, its apprentice-style approach, ways that it has adjusted its model to help firms and law departments meet surge capacity during the pandemic, and best practices that law firms and law departments should apply to thrive during this period of uncertainty.
I spoke with Ed Sohn, the head of solutions at Factor, a provider of legal managed services. We discussed the distinctions between law firms, legal tech vendors, managed services providers, and the Big 4, the biggest challenges for buyers of legal services in this climate, and where legal is headed.
I spoke with Brian Albert, the co-founder and CEO of Videobolt.com, a cloud-based platform for creating affordable custom videos with professional spokespeople. We discussed the genesis of Videobolt.com, how it works, the advantage of using a professional spokesperson in your videos, how the pandemic impacted Videobolt.com, and how video in legal marketing is evolving.
I spoke with Joey Seeber, the co-founder and CEO of Level 2 Legal Solutions, a provider of managed services focused on privacy, compliance, and litigation. We discussed how Level 2 Legal has adapted to the current environment, the opportunities for growth, leadership and advice for chief executive officers in the legal industry, and where the legal sector is headed.
I spoke with Aaron Pierce, the vice president and general manager for CounselLink, a legal and spend management solution for law departments. We discussed the 2020 ELM Trends Report, how COVID-19 is impacting law firm consolidation, ways that legal departments have had to pivot in the pandemic, the matter types that have changed most drastically, and how legal departments may manage their legal spend for the remainder of 2020.
I spoke with Dan Broderick, the co-founder and CEO of BlackBoiler, a startup that offers a patented contract editing tool. We discussed the benefits of using an automated contract markup tool, changes in how clients have used and purchased technology, best practices for legal operations and in-house legal teams beginning a contract automation project, and how the market for automated contract markup technology is evolving.
I spoke with Ray Meiring, the CEO of Qorus Software, a sales enablement platform for remote proposal management. We discussed how sales enablement is impacting law firms, how COVID-19 impacted the law firm approach to RFPs and proposal management, the impact of proposal management software, how AI is impacting the field’s development, and where RFP and proposal management for law firms is headed.
I spoke with Rich Robinson, the Director of Legal Operations & Litigation Support for Toyota Legal One, which is part of Toyota Motor North America. We discussed ways that career disruption has changed, how professionals can adapt to the current environment, overcoming the reluctance to pivot, and maximizing opportunities.
I spoke with Vishal Sunak, the founder and CEO of LinkSquares, an artificial intelligence-based contract analytics platform. We discussed the genesis of LinkSquares, how corporations manage contracts differently from law firms, whether that is changing in light of the COVID-19 crisis, how the landscape for contract litigation will evolve once the courts return to their standard, if not normal, operations, and advice for founders of legal tech start-ups navigating the challenges of expanding their business.
I spoke with Jon Tobin, a lawyer and the founder of Counsel for Creators, which is a Los Angeles-based law firm that works with clients in the arts, entertainment, software development, and other sectors, and offers a legal subscription model to make the law accessible for small businesses. We discussed the advantages of a subscription service for lawyers, ways that it empowers clients, and how to develop one.
I spoke with Haresh Bhungalia, the CEO of Casepoint, a provider of e-discovery software. We discussed the genesis of Casepoint, how it has adapted to the challenges presented by COVID-19, ways that legal technology companies can manage the current uncertainty and continue to generate momentum, how companies can use data-driven forecasting and precise cost modeling to guide them as the market shifts, and what can legal providers do to prepare now for the expected increased demand in litigation.
I spoke with Michael Grupp , the founder and CEO of BRYTER, a no-code platform for building digital applications in the legal and compliance industries. We discussed the genesis of BRYTER, how it works, its most popular use cases, how BRYTER’s team adapted to the remote working environment, its successful round of funding during the pandemic, and its expansion plans.
I spoke with Dana Denis-Smith, the founder and CEO of Obelisk Support, a UK-based company that provides flexible legal services worldwide. We discussed the genesis of Obelisk Support, how the company has adapted to the COVID-19 crisis, the skills that are necessary to thrive in the current environment, and her research focused on empowering female founders.
I spoke with Ray Bayley and Lois Haubold, the co-founders of Novus Law, a global legal services practice. We discussed how corporate legal departments, law firms, and legal services organizations are reimagining their work in the current environment, how legal teams will operate going forward, and how the legal profession is evolving to accommodate a remote culture.
I spoke with John Snyder, the co-founder and CEO of Agnes Intelligence, an artificial intelligence software tool for searching and reviewing data. We discussed the genesis of Agnes Intelligence, where artificial intelligence is most effective and least effective, and the trajectory of e-discovery.
I spoke with Will Norton, the co-founder and CEO of SimplyAgree, a signature and closing management platform for transactional attorneys. We discussed the genesis of SimplyAgree, the transactions they are accommodating, the challenges associated with leveraging technology for closing management, and how the transition to remote work is impacting SimplyAgree and the overall legal market.
I spoke with Gary Markham, the founder and CEO of Bilr, a legal billing software platform. We discussed the genesis of Bilr, how it differs from other time entry tools on the market, the biggest challenges associated with legal timekeeping, why it has become such an important issue for law firms, and where timekeeping is headed.
I spoke with Mona Datt, the founder and CEO of both Loom Analytics, a legal analytics software company, and eDecree, a legal and insurance transcription company. We discussed how she has helped her teams work from home, the biggest challenges she has faced in that effort, how she is preparing to return to a physical office, and her recommendations for other companies transitioning back to a central location.
I spoke with Chris Ende, the Chief Value Officer at Goulston & Storrs, and Michael Byrd, the Global Process Owner at Baker McKenzie, who are board members for the Legal Value Network, a new organization dedicated to the business of law. We discussed the genesis of the Legal Value Network, the benefits of participating in it, ways that its programming will adapt to a virtual environment, and how the concept of legal value is evolving.
I spoke with Matt Homann, the founder of Filament, a company that designs and facilitates virtual and in-person meetings. We discussed the genesis of Filament, whether you can replicate a memorable in-person event experience online, recommendations for developing successful online programs, and how legal events are evolving.
I spoke with Josh Schoen, the CEO of AiLanthus, a litigation collaboration platform and knowledge management system. We discussed the genesis of AiLanthus, how collaboration and knowledge management align with litigation support, and ways that legal technology is adapting to the current crisis.
I spoke with Brandon Greenblatt, the CEO of Precision Reporters, which provides litigation support and court reporting services. We discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted court reporting, the practical innovations and preparations his company is making for the move to virtual litigation, and how advancements in court reporting align with the rapid advancements taking place in legal technology.
I spoke with James Barclay, the head of client success at Passle, a sales and marketing platform focused on professional services. We discussed how professionals should approach content creation in the current environment, ways that Passle enhances how individuals can broadcast content, the benefits of a LinkedIn audit, and how content creation has changed in a work-from-home world.
I spoke with Arthur Raguette, the co-founder and executive vice president of Ultria, an artificial intelligence-based contract management platform. We discussed how working from home has changed how legal professionals are leveraging technology, how to align what artificial intelligence can do with the expectations of what it should do, and where contract management technology is headed.
I spoke with Graham Smith-Bernal, the founder and CEO of Opus 2 International, a case management software platform. We discussed how Opus 2 integrates with the array of software tools that a typical law firm leverages, global litigation, arbitration, and mediation trends, how virtual hearings and court proceedings will evolve.
I spoke with Mike Hewitt, the CEO of vTestify, which provides virtual deposition software and services. We discussed how vTestify differs from Zoom, the role of remote hearings and depositions as social distancing restrictions are eased, and how litigation is evolving.
I spoke with Joy Murao, the founder and CEO of Practice Aligned Resources, a legal technology consulting and education company. She is also a member of the advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. We discussed how legal technology training has evolved since she started Practice Aligned Resources in 2015, how the emergence of legal operations in both law firms and corporate law departments has impacted expectations of how skilled legal professionals need to be, the impact of advanced training on one’s career, and where legal technology training is headed.
I spoke with Mike Whelan, a lawyer and communications strategist, who is the author of Lawyer Forward: Finding Your Place in the Future of Law. We discussed his inspiration for Lawyer Forward, how the law firm business model is changing, his vision for a modern law practice, ways that legal education needs to adapt, techniques law firms can employ to train and support their professionals, and how law students and newer lawyers can reimagine their futures in the profession.
I spoke with David Cunningham, the chief information officer at Winston & Strawn in Houston. He is leading the Legal Metrics initiative, which is an industry-wide group designing a solution to understand and visualize legal operations metrics. We discussed the genesis of the initiative, how metrics can change behavior, and ways that Legal Metrics will help law firms, law departments, other legal organizations.
I spoke with Lutz-Christian Wolff, Steven Gallagher, and Joyce Wong, the dean, associate dean for teaching and learning, and faculty secretary, respectively, at the Faculty of Law at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. We discussed the university’s approach to legal education, how its professors have altered their teaching styles and methods to adapt to distance learning, evaluating student performance remotely, and which elements of the new model of education will become permanent.
I spoke with Bob Rowe and Jamie Berry, the CEO and litigation business unit leader, respectively, at Integreon, a provider of alternative legal services. We discussed the technology and workflow strategies necessary to rapidly transform a global company into a completely remote workforce, how to effectively protect client-sensitive documents and communications in that environment, and where the legal industry is headed in light of the current crisis.
I spoke with Tom O’Connor, a nationally-recognized consultant, speaker, and writer in the field of computerized litigation support systems, who is also a member of the global advisory board for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. We discussed why professionals seek certifications, the challenges associated with obtaining one, their impact on one’s career, and how they are evolving.
I spoke with Tom Dreyfus, the CEO and co-founder of Josef, an Australian legal automation platform. Prior to founding Josef, Tom worked as a litigator in Melbourne, Australia and clerked at the High Court of Australia. We discussed the genesis of Josef, why legal professionals should leverage automation, the benefits and risks of a distributed or ground-up approach to legal automation, and the future of legal work.
I spoke with Steve Tover, the founder of Anylaw, a free legal research platform. We discussed the genesis of Anylaw, how it differs from other legal research solutions, the company’s business model, and where the legal research sector is headed.
I spoke with Alex Babin, the CEO of ZERØ, an AI-powered email platform. We discussed the genesis of Zero, how it leverages artificial intelligence to help users manage their email, the value of ZERØ Lite, how law firms can reinvent themselves in a remote-first working environment, and the advantages of applying automation to law firm operations.
I spoke with Patrick DiDomenico, the chief innovation officer for Jackson Lewis, a large national labor and employment-focused law firm with more than 60 offices throughout the United States, and the author of Knowledge Management for Lawyers (American Bar Association, 2016). We discussed his mission at the firm, key challenges in the current crisis, best practices for law firms adapting to a completely remote working environment, and the role of legal technology in this transformation.
I spoke with Tom Jones, the founder and CEO, and Jeff Suhr, the senior vice president for Intellistat and Steere, respectively, for Iridium Technology, a business intelligence and financial analytics company. We discussed the genesis of Iridium Technology, the drivers of analytics in the legal field, and how the availability of robust and actionable data is driving change in the legal industry.
I spoke with Josh Maley, the founder of Theorem, a platform designed to aggregate legal technology applications for law firms and corporate legal departments. We discussed the genesis of Theorem, how using it impacts how organizations manage their application suite, and advice for law firm and legal department leaders who are driving innovation.
I spoke with Marco Maggio, the vice president of Strategic Practices for the All Covered division of Konica Minolta. We discussed the key trends impacting the legal industry in 2020, those which are most important to your clients, why the predictability of outcomes has become so important, and whether legal innovation is at a tipping point.
I spoke with Debbie Reynolds, the founder of Debbie Reynolds Consulting, who provides guidance to corporations on global data privacy, data protection, and legal technology issues. We discussed the genesis of her consulting practice, the most pressing data privacy issue that companies are facing today, best practices that companies should implement to maintain compliance, and the impact of the CCPA on data privacy in the US.
I spoke with Jim Wagner, the president of Seal Software, a leader in enterprise contract analytics. We discussed his role at Seal Software, whether artificial intelligence has come of age for contract review, the demand for contract analytics software, what should potential users of contract analytics software should recognize before leveraging this technology, the biggest surprise in the legal profession’s journey toward digital transformation, and where the sector is headed.
I spoke with Chris Osborn, the co-founder of Reeltime Creative Learning Experiences, a national provider of continuing education and professional development programs. We discussed the genesis of Reeltime Creative Learning Experiences, the programs it offers, how the delivery of continuing legal education has changed, and how it will continue to evolve.
I spoke with Jerry Ting, the CEO and co-founder of Evisort, an AI-powered contract analysis system. We discussed the genesis of Evisort and its recent $15 million investment, advice for legal tech entrepreneurs seeking investors in 2020, how investors should evaluate early-stage, pre-revenue companies in legal, ways that hopeful entrepreneurs could carve out their niche, and where legal tech is headed.
I spoke with Nehal Madhani, the founder and CEO of Alt Legal, a company whose cloud-based IP docketing software helps legal professionals prepare and manage hundreds of thousands of IP filings and deadlines daily. We discussed the expansion of Alt Legal’s docketing business, its upcoming trademark law conference called Alt Legal Connect, the keynote presentation by Jack Newton, the co-founder and CEO of Clio, and how Alt Legal Connect and other events are influencing the distribution and development of legal technology.
During Legalweek, I had the privilege of interviewing an array of legal industry leaders about issues ranging from machine learning and hybrid e-discovery to practical innovation and the business of law. This is a mixtape of their perspectives.
I spoke with Jonah Paransky, the executive vice president and general manager of Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions. We discussed how customers are leveraging ELM Solutions, their appetite for artificial intelligence, how AI aligns with legal operations, and lessons about how legal teams should apply AI.
I spoke with Tim Pullan, the founder and CEO of ThoughtRiver, an intelligent contract pre-screening platform. We discussed the genesis of ThoughtRiver, how its technology works, ways that its platform differs from others on the market, the value for its clients, and where the usage of this technology is headed.
I spoke with Varun Mehta, the CEO of Factor, formerly Axiom Managed Solutions, an organization focused on performing complex legal work at scale. We discussed Factor’s primary focus, whether it is necessary for a “new law” company to concentrate on a particular service or technology to succeed, what Factor is disrupting, who it is replacing in the buying cycle, and how legal services are evolving.
I spoke with Matthew Prinn, the principal of RFP Advisory Group, a consulting firm that specializes in RFPs for the legal industry. We discussed key trends in how corporate legal departments are using RFPs, the biggest mistakes law firms make in responding to RFPs, and how RFPs and related technology are evolving.
I spoke with Mary DeSpain, the founder of Destination CLEs, a company that combines vacation with continuing legal education. We discussed the genesis of Destination CLEs, the advantage of associating leisure activities with professional education, and how this model of educating legal professionals reflects the changing nature of the practice.
I spoke with Richard Susskind, the author of the newly released book, Online Courts and the Future of Justice, among many others, including The End of Lawyers? and The Future of the Professions. We discussed his inspiration for writing Online Courts, how it aligns with his prior work, the key messages that he hopes readers will take from the book, which courts will change first, and how listeners can be bold in transforming their careers and practices to prepare for a different future in the law.
I spoke with Elena Borisova, the deputy general manager and director of sales and marketing for the Crowne Plaza – World Trade Center Hotel in Moscow, Russia. We discussed how hotels can gain distinction, ways that they tailor the experience for business travelers and tourists, and the impact of technology on travel.
I spoke with Igor Mass, the co-founder and managing director of MyFlyRight, a Hamburg-based flight irregularity platform in Europe. We discussed the genesis of MyFlyRight, how it balances the legal and technical aspects of its operations, ways that its customers benefit from automation, the challenges of operating a European legal technology company, and where the legal tech sector is headed in Europe.
I spoke with Olga Mack, the CEO of Parley Pro, a contract management platform for online negotiation. We discussed why the contract management field is developing so rapidly, the characteristics of a modern contract management platform, when organizations should consider implementing a contract management solution, and where this sector is headed.
I spoke with Scott Wallingford and Scott Winter, the Vice President and General Manager of LexisNexis’ Law Firm Software Solutions and the Director of Product Management for InterAction, respectively. We discussed how law firms are leveraging CRM technology, whether security is still a concern for law firms and their use of the cloud, best practices law firms should apply in managing their cloud-based data, and how compliance with the CCPA and GDPR are impacting ways law firms are leveraging technology.
I spoke with Mike Bryant and Ashish Prasad, the executive chairman and general counsel, respectively, for Haystack ID, a specialized e-discovery services company. We discussed how consulting aligns with eDiscovery, what is driving investment in this sector, how HaystackID is investing in innovation, and how e-discovery is evolving.
I spoke with Chris Pogue, the head of partner connect at Nuix, a leading provider of e-discovery software. We discussed the value of establishing global partner networks, changes to the Nuix Partner Program, his vision for Nuix Connect, and the trajectory of this sector.
I spoke with Erick Gunawan, the head of forensics for Law In Order, a provider of e-discovery services in Australia. We discussed how law firms, consulting firms, and service providers leverage technology differently, the challenges of recruiting and retaining legal technology professionals in Australia, how Royal Commissions are impacting the legal technology community, and where the legal market in Australia is headed.
I spoke with Paul Fontanot, the national practice group leader for forensic and technology services at Clayton Utz in Sydney, who is an equity partner in the firm, though he is not a lawyer. We discussed the services that the forensic and technology group provides, the impact on law firms of sharing equity with professionals who are not lawyers, and the future composition of professional services firms, including legal practices.
I spoke with Wendell Jisa, the CEO of Reveal Data, a provider of global eDiscovery and investigation software and services, which recently announced the establishment of its 19th worldwide data center and the launch of its Canadian operations. We discussed the genesis of Reveal Data, how it is helping law firms handle global eDiscovery, how cross-border eDiscovery differs from domestic eDiscovery, and the top challenges in this area.
I spoke with Adrian Lürssen, co-founder and vice president of strategic development at JD Supra. We discussed his program at the 2019 LMA Northeast Regional Conference – How to Turn Reader Data Into Business Development Wins For Your Firm – why it is such an important topic, and the key takeaways he hopes attendees will be able to apply at their organizations.
I spoke with Maddy Martin, the head of growth and education at Smith.ai, which provides integrated phone and web chat services for solo and small-firm attorneys, including a virtual receptionist & intake service, live website chat, and a keypad cloud phone system. We discussed how Smith.ai leverages artificial intelligence in its phone and web chat services, the misconceptions about AI, and how the use of AI in solo practices and small law firms is evolving.
I spoke with Timo Tschersig, the head of customer success for BusyLamp, a legal operations software platform, and Dr. Bernhard Waltl, a data scientist with BMW Group. Bernard is a co-founder of the Liquid Legal Institute in Germany and he and Timo are among the authors of the Institute’s 2019 Digitalization Guide. We discussed the guide, how it helps legal teams, and the impact of the Institute.
I spoke with Rick Weber, the co-founder and managing partner of Arbor Ridge Partners, a Legal Technology and Legal Services M&A advisory firm. We discussed the current state of M&A for legal technology and legal services companies, the difference between private equity and venture capital in the context of M&A, and where M&A in legal is headed.
I spoke with Jamie Berry, the litigation business unit leader at Integreon, a global provider of managed services. We discussed Integreon’s new Cyber Incident Response initiative, how cyber incident response differs from cyber or data breach response, the types of matters for which cyber incident response is best suited, and how this area is developing.
I spoke with Felicity Conrad, the co-founder & CEO of Paladin, a software platform that empowers pro bono activities in law firms, Christian Lang, the head of strategy at Reynen Court, a secure platform for law firms and corporate legal departments to adopt and manage their software, and Anna McGrane, the co-founder and COO of PacerPro, a system that simplifies access to Pacer, the online federal court filings system. We discussed New York University Law School’s series on legal technology, including its upcoming program on October 22, 2019.
I spoke with Tomas Suros, the chief solutions architect at AbacusNext, the maker of HotDocs, a document automation software platform, AbacusLaw, a legal practice management solution, and Amicus Attorney, a case management system. We discussed the technology trends that are driving progress in law firms, their security challenges, how the transformation to digital platforms is helping firms reduce their cost of operating, and developments in leveraging the cloud in legal.
I spoke with Avaneesh Marwaha, the CEO of Litera Microsystems, a document lifecycle software provider. We discussed the company’s recent acquisitions of Workshare and Doxly, how Litera’s transaction management solution helps law firms, the alignment of transaction management and document drafting, and how this sector is evolving.
I spoke with Erez Bustan, the president and CEO of American LegalNet, a litigation workflow software company. We discussed the genesis of American LegalNet, the biggest challenges in litigation today, how the company’s new eFiling Portal from others in the marketplace, and the advantages of using an end-to-end litigation workflow platform.
I spoke with Sebastian Hartmann, the Global Head of Technology Strategy at KPMG in Frankfurt, Germany. We discussed his role at KPMG, how law firm and corporate leaders can scale and grow their businesses in the current environment, ways that technology is challenging the business model of traditional professional services firms, and how professional services firms are evolving.
I spoke with David Schnurman, the founder and CEO of Lawline, a leading provider of continuing legal education, and the author of The Fast Forward Mindset: How to Be Fearless & Focused to Accelerate Your Success (Highpoint Executive Publishing, 2019). We discussed his work at Lawline, the inspiration for The Fast Forward Mindset, the most impactful lesson in the book, its 30-day challenge, and suggestions for other entrepreneurs interested in writing a book, among other topics.
I had the privilege of interviewing Jeff McCoy, Haresh Bhungalia, David Horrigan, Shawn Gaines, Ed Walters, Erez Bustan, Patrick DiDomenico, Ian Campbell, Brad Blickstein, Warrick McLean, Helle Schwartz-Grossman, Caterina Latte, Kim Taylor, Craig Carpenter, Scott Wallingford, Scott Winter, Sarah Schaaf, Rick Weber, and Tony Caputo at ILTACON 2019 and this is a mash-up of their perspectives.
I spoke with David Alain Bloch, the co-founder and CEO of Legartis, a developer of an AI-powered contract intelligence software platform. We discussed the genesis of Legartis, ways that technology is influencing contract management, and how artificial intelligence-powered contracts are evolving.
I spoke with Christina Ypsilanti, the Maitre de Maison at the SunRocks Boutique Hotel in Santorini, Greece. We discussed the history of Santorini, Greece and its most popular attractions.
I spoke with Philipp Kadelbach, the founder of Flightright, an automated service that helps passengers check and assert their compensation claims in Europe. We discussed the genesis of Flightright, how it works, the application of legal tech to travel, and whether technology is replacing lawyers.
I spoke with Barry Solomon, executive vice president at Foundation Software Group, the developer of a firm intelligence platform used by lawyers, KM professionals, marketing and business development leaders, and an array of individuals responsible for the business and practice of law. We discussed the value of focusing on firm intelligence over experience management and how it is impacting law firms.
I spoke with Emily Hostage, a vice president at Burford Capital, a publicly-traded litigation finance company. We discussed how litigation finance differs from other forms of capital, the advantages, the difference between how a law firm and a corporate legal department uses litigation finance, ways to evaluate litigation risk, and where the litigation finance market is headed.
I spoke with Vassilis Poravos, the hotel manager at the Domes Noruz hotel in Chania, Crete. We discussed the influence of wellness activities on tourism, how technology is impacting modern travel, and the appeal of the Greek islands.
I spoke with Joy Heath Rush, the CEO of the International Legal Technology Association, which provides educational and networking opportunities for professionals who support the practice of law with technology. We discussed how the organization has changed in the past 2 1/2 decades, her vision for this year’s ILTACON, new programming, the advantages of attending, and how to cut through the legal tech noise.
I spoke with Jerry Ting and Alex Su, the CEO and Director of Business Development, respectively, at Evisort, a software platform that provides artificial intelligence for contracts. We discussed why artificial intelligence has become so attractive in the legal sector, the benefits and challenges associated with implementing it, and where the field is headed.
I spoke with Thomas Martin, an investment professional with Hg, a private equity firm that recently acquired Litera Microsystems and Workshare. We discussed the types of companies in which Hg invests, the appeal of legal technology, the impact of consolidation on innovation, and how a legal technology company can attract interest from a private equity firm.
I spoke with Ray Zwiefelhofer, the president of World Software Corporation, the maker of Worldox, a document management platform that thousands of law firms around the world use to manage their information. We discussed what law firms are looking for in their document management and how document management has evolved.
I spoke with Ashley Pepitone, a practicing attorney in Atlanta and the co-founder of JurisBytes, the developer of JurisMS, a texting application for secure and private lawyer-client texting, which won the ABA Techshow Startup Alley competition in March. We discussed how attorney-client communication has evolved, current communication challenges, and advice for solo and small firm practitioners on selecting technology.
I spoke with Fayiaz Chaudhri, the CEO of Aimactek, an artificial intelligence and machine learning software developer focused on the legal industry. We discussed the genesis of Aimactek, the difference between AI and machine learning, how AI is transforming corporate law departments, and where its application is headed in the legal industry.
I spoke with Isabella Galeano, a law professor at Esade Law School in Barcelona, host of The Quirky Lawyer podcast, and the founder of The Technolawgist media platform. We discussed the genesis of The Technolawgist, how it aligns with The Quirky Lawyer podcast, trends in the Spanish legal market, ways that lawyers are distinguishing themselves in the current market, and the direction of the legal industry.
I spoke with Nate Latessa, the president of Heureka, an index in place, search, and analysis software platform for corporate legal, compliance, and cybersecurity departments. We discussed the genesis of Heureka, the benefits of improving an organization’s data hygiene, how data classification impacts e-discovery, and where e-discovery is headed.
I spoke with Grover Cleveland, a former law firm partner and the founder of Lessons for Sharks, a firm that provides programs and coaching to increase lawyer performance. He is the author of Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: The Essential Guide to Thriving As a New Lawyer. We discussed how summer associate programs have adapted to the current crisis, the challenges of creating rich, virtual experiences, and best practices for ensuring that these initiatives succeed.
I spoke with Rachi Messing, a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, where he leads the company's internal e-discovery team. We discussed how Microsoft manages its own e-discovery, how e-discovery has historically fit into Microsoft's overall vision for a holistic workspace, where cloud-based e-discovery is headed, and Microsoft's plans for e-discovery in 2019.
I spoke with Alex Nwaka, a principal with Touchdown Ventures, which provides venture capital services on behalf of leading corporations. We discussed the model of providing venture capital as a service, why law firms are investing in venture capital, how they are deploying their capital, and the challenges of supporting legal tech companies.
I spoke with Aileen Schultz, a Toronto-based business strategist, the co-founder of the Global Legal Hackathon, and the founder and president of the World Legal Summit. We discussed the genesis of the World Legal Summit, its mission, and how it differs from other legal events and organizations.
I spoke with Neil Sahota, an IBM Master Inventor, an advisor to the United Nations, and the co-author of Own the A.I. Revolution: Unlock Your Artificial Intelligence Strategy to Disrupt Your Competition (McGraw-Hill Education, May 22, 2019). We discussed his inspiration for writing the book, how legal professionals can unlock their artificial intelligence strategy, ways to filter out the noise, and tips for maximizing its benefits.
I spoke with Josh Hass, the Head of eDiscovery and Information Governance at Charles River Associates, a global consulting firm focused on forensics. We discussed the first anniversary of the GDPR implementation date, how that regulation has changed the way organizations approach privacy and information governance, similar state-specific requirements, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, ways that the European restrictions compare to the various U.S. initiatives, the e-discovery advantages to an organization that proactively focuses on its portfolio of data, and where the intersection of e-discovery and data privacy is headed.
I spoke with Don Fuchs, the vice president of sales in North America for HighQ, a software platform that streamlines collaboration, legal service delivery, legal operations, and client engagement. In 2003, he co-founded Legal Anywhere, a provider of secure collaboration solutions for law firms, which HighQ acquired in the summer of 2018. We discussed the renewed interest and use of intranets within law firms, what they are trying to achieve with their intranets, and how law firms are using their intranets to add value to the employee and client experience.
I spoke with Ronny Loew, the National Sales Director for ProCirrus Technologies, a cloud-hosting provider of end-to-end IT services for law firms. We discussed why law firms are embracing the cloud, how they can ensure the safety of their client data during a migration, ways to evaluate cloud vendors, and where cloud adoption is headed.
I spoke with Travis Luther, the founder of Law Father, a legal technology and trial support firm, which is also the developer of trialline.net. We discussed the genesis of Law Father, the release of Trial Line, how technology has changed the way lawyers tell stories in the courtroom, ways that it has improved how they organize cases and develop strategies, and where case management technology is headed.
I spoke with Ryan Anderson, the founder and CEO of Filevine, a case management system for attorneys. We discussed the genesis of Filevine, how it differs from similar tools on the market, why a case management system matters, how client expectations have impacted the modern practice of law, ways that better technology can facilitate adoption, and advice for transitioning from a practicing attorney to the founder of a legal tech startup.
I spoke with Matthew Volm, the co-founder and CEO of Tali, a voice-enabled time capture software tool. We discussed the genesis of Tali, how it works, the company’s announcement that it would be closing on June 30th, what legal tech startups should know before getting into the sector, tips for sifting through the hype and maintaining focus, and what’s next for the Tali team.
I spoke with Josh Taylor, an attorney and the lead content strategist at Smokeball, a practice management software platform for small law firms. We discussed how technology can help a law firm increase efficiency and streamline communication, the biggest hurdle that legal professionals need to overcome in order to implement new technologies, the advantages that multi-national legal tech companies enjoy. and where the use of technology in solo practices and small law firms is headed.
I spoke with Crawford Appleby, a Los Angeles-based transportation accident and qui tam attorney with Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, PC by day and legal tech entrepreneur by night. He recently launched Rulings.law, a free, online database of tentative rulings written by California state court judges. We discussed his background, the genesis of Rulings.law, how attorneys can use the site, what the creation of Rulings.law indicates about the trends associated with predicting case outcomes, and advice for practicing lawyers interested in becoming legal tech innovators.
I spoke with Jodie Baker, the founder & CEO of Xakia Technologies, a matter management and legal data analytics software company for in-house legal teams. She is also the deputy chair of the Australian Legal Technology Association and co-chair of the Advisory Board to the Centre for Legal Innovation at The College of Law. We discussed the genesis of Xakia, how the use of tools like Xakia differ between small and large legal departments, ways that the growth of legal operations is changing corporate legal teams, and the trends driving the expansion of Australian legal tech.
I spoke with Kim Massana, the president and CEO for Neota Logic, a low-code application development platform used by a variety of organizations throughout the legal community. We discussed his new role at Neota Logic, the advantages of low-code application development, and key use cases for this technology.
I spoke with Omer Hayun, the founder of Bestpractix, an AI-powered productivity platform for contract drafting. We discussed the genesis of Bestpractix, how it differs from other tools on the market, how it incorporates machine learning, and where the market for similar tools is headed.
I spoke with Jonathan Reed, the co-founder and CEO of AdvoLogix, a cloud-based legal case and matter management solution for law firms and legal departments. We discussed the most pressing matter management challenges that law firms and corporate legal departments are facing today, best practices for overcoming them, the benefits that legal teams can expect from streamlining their matter management, and how it affects their overall business processes.
I spoke with Deborah Farone, a law firm marketing advisor who served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Debevoise & Plimpton. She is the author of "Best Practices in Law Firm Business Development and Marketing" (Practising Law Institute, 2019), which is based on more than 60 interviews with leading law firm leaders and marketers, general counsel, and innovators in the profession. We discussed the genesis of "Best Practices in Law firm Business Development and Marketing," the interesting discussions in the book, the legal industry changes that law firm leaders and marketers need to address, how they are incorporating innovation, their strategic and practice planning mistakes, and how law firms can create a distinct brand in the current competitive climate.
I spoke with Andrew Mellett, the co-founder and CEO of Plexus, the maker of Legal Gateway, a legal operating system used by a wide range of in-house legal teams. We discussed the genesis of Plexus, how the team identified the need for a legal-specific operating system, trends that are impacting the provision of legal services, how legal challenges differ around the world, the impact of artificial intelligence having on the legal industry, and ways that the role of the general counsel is evolving.
I spoke with Jennifer Andres and Michael Gibeault, a Senior Review Manager and the Senior Director of Legal Services, respectively, at TCDI, a provider of litigation management and e-discovery software and services, which offers a Military Spouse Managed Review Program. We discussed the genesis of TCDI’s Military Spouse Managed Review Program, its impact, how this model of leveraging remote talent reflects the changing nature of legal services, the mechanics of participation, the response from clients, and other ways that corporate legal teams and law firms can collaborate with military spouses.
I spoke with Greg Garman, the co-founder of LAWCLERK, an online marketplace of freelance lawyers, and a founding partner with Garman Turner Gordon. We discussed the genesis of LAWCLERK, how Garman balances his LAWCLERK responsibilities with those of a practicing lawyer, the type of firms for which LAWCLERK’s freelancers are most appropriate, the projects that LAWCLERK’s freelancers can handle, the risks and advantages associated with hiring freelance attorneys over full-time associates, and how the freelance market for attorneys will impact the profession in 2019.
I spoke with Parkash Khatri and Cat Pray, the director of global discovery services and review manager, respectively, for Blackstone Discovery, an e-discovery solutions provider that covers the entire range of the EDRM. We discussed Blackstone’s focus on the pharmaceutical sector, how it manages document review teams, the litigation challenges that companies will face in 2019, ways they can overcome them, the application of predictive coding, and where e-discovery is headed.
I spoke with Jack Newton, the co-founder and CEO of Clio, a leading practice management software platform at Legaltech 2019. We discussed the genesis of Clio, its tenth anniversary, the launch of Clio Grow, how companies can simultaneously manage growth while maintaining a unique culture, how expectations of legal technology have changed over the past decade, and the future of legal technology.
I spoke with Joseph Escobio, the Chief Information Officer for Klinedinst, a West Coast-based law firm, where he oversees all IT, e-discovery, and data services for the firm’s five offices. We discussed his role at Klinedinst, the IT challenges that law firms and legal professionals likely to face in 2019, how they differ from what they’ve seen in the past, ways that technology leaders within law firms can structure change, how law firms can align their efforts with their outside providers, and where legal IT is headed.
Thank you to the following individuals for sharing their perspectives with me on the third day of Legaltech 2019:
Chris Bright, VP of Marketing, Zapproved Ian Campbell, President & CEO, iCONECT Corey Douglas, Director, Consilio Monica Enand, CEO, Zapproved Brad Harris, Distinguished Fellow of E-Discovery, Zapproved Linda Kish, Chief Marketing Officer, Level 2 Legal Solutions Tineke Mann, eBusiness Manager, The Information Management Group Joy Murao, Founder & CEO, Practice Aligned Resources Bill Piwonka, Chief Marketing Officer, Exterro Ajith Samuel, Chief Product Officer, Exterro Dr. Silvia Hodges Silverstein, Executive Director, Buying Legal Council Kelly Struck, VP of Marketing, Consilio
I spoke with Ryan Steadman, the chief revenue officer for Zero, at Legaltech 2019 about building trust in the application of AI and machine learning to time capture, email management, and other areas.
I spoke with Rebecca Goodman-Stephens and Frank Vitale, the chief operating officer and chief marketing officer, respectively, for Berdon LLP, an accounting firm that provides technical and consulting services to law firms and other organizations, at Legaltech 2019 about Berdon Technology Services.
I spoke with Kevin Harris, a project manager for Orion Law Management Systems, at Legaltech 2019 about billing best practices.
Thank you to the following individuals for sharing their perspectives with me on the second day of Legaltech 2019: Bob Ambrogi, Publisher of LawSites and Host of LawNext Craig Ball, Court-Appointed Special Master and E-Discovery Consultant Josh Becker, Chairman of Lex Machina and Head of Legal Analytics, LexisNexis Shawn Gaines, VP of Marketing, Relativity Caroline Hill, Editor-in-Chief, Legal IT Insider Robert Hilson, Senior Marketing Director, Logikcull Kate Holmes, Managing Director, FTI Technology Jack Newton, Co-Founder and CEO, Clio Chris Pogue, Head of Services, Security, and Partner Integrations, Nuix Alexis Robbins, Marketing Manager, Knovos Rod Vawdrey, Group CEO, Nuix
As part of my Legaltech 2019 series, I spoke with Doug Austin, the Vice President of Products and Professional Services for CloudNine and the editor of the E-Discovery Daily blog.
I spoke with Vikram Savkar, the Vice President and General Manager of International and Higher Education Markets at Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory. We discussed how Wolters Kluwer works with law schools and students, why it created the Leading Edge Prize for Legal Education Innovation, how law schools are driving innovation to expand educational and career opportunities for students and how law schools can help their students prepare for life after graduation.
Thank you to the following individuals for speaking with me on the first day of Legaltech 2019: Lauren Amanda Adler, Director of Sales, Manzama Dan Berlin, President & CEO, Tabs3 Software Haresh Bhungalia, CEO, Casepoint Justin Blessing, Founder, Compiled Jessica Block, Data & Technology Practice Co-Lead, Ankura Consulting David Carns, Chief Strategy Officer, Casepoint Ginny Gonzalez, Chief Business Development & Marketing Officer, TCDI Andrew King, Founder, E-Discovery Consulting & LawFest Michelle Lange, VP, Workstorm Jonathan Reed, CEO, Advologix Ryan Steadman, CRO, Zero Steve Scorziello, Head of Legal Operations, Harmon
I spoke with Christian Lang, a former attorney with Davis Polk & Wardwell, who is the new head of strategy at Reynen Court and the founder of the New York Legal Tech Meetup. He is producing a new legal technology conference on February 1, 2019 called Inspire Legal. We discussed his background, the genesis of Inspire.Legal, how this event differs from others, its relationship to the New York Legal Tech Meetup, the Inspire.Legal agenda, and what the creation of Inspire.Legal indicates about the current level of interest in legal innovation.
Thank you to the following industry leaders for sharing their perspectives in anticipation of Legaltech 2019: Doug Austin, VP, CloudNine Rajitha Boer, Founder, Yerra Solutions, an Elevate Company Jim Delkousis, Founder, Persuit Ian Faith, Director of Marketing, Ipro Rebecca Goodman-Stephens, Berdon Kevin Harris, Project Manager, Orion Legal Management Systems Shane Jansz, Head of E-Discovery & IG Solutions, Nuix Tricia Johnson, Director of Marketing, Q Discovery Rick Merrill, CEO, Gavelytics Diane Miller, Senior Director of Marketing, Lighthouse Mike Quartararo, Founder, eDPM Advisory Services Jerome Raguin, VP, Elevate Joey Seeber, CEO, Level 2 Legal Solutions Leigh Vickery, Director of Innovation, Level 2 Legal Solutions Frank Vitale, CMO, Berdon Stacy Ybarra, VP Marketing, Lighthouse
I spoke with Rith Kem and Mason Pan, both principals in the Compliance, Forensics, and Intelligence practice at Control Risks. Kem is the Technology Operations and Custom Solutions leader in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region, while Pan is the leader of the Data Analytics group for the Americas. We discussed trends the duo expects to see in analytics monitoring systems in 2019, how their clients are applying data to remediate and strengthen their compliance programs, and best practices for corporations interested in creating a center of excellence to manage risk indicators.
I spoke with Erik Lindberg and Tonya Custis, the senior director for Westlaw Product Management and the senior director of Research, respectively, at Thomson Reuters. We discussed the genesis of Westlaw Edge, how it differs from Westlaw, how its artificial intelligence technology differs from other tools on the market, the evolution of Westlaw, and where legal research is headed.
I spoke with Ketan Jhaveri and John Maloney, the co-CEO and Head of Client Success, respectively, at Bodhala, a legal data analytics company. We discussed the genesis of Bodhala, how its clients are using data analytics, who makes the decision to leverage legal data analytics within a corporate law department, the factors driving the use of data in large corporations, and where the legal industry is headed in 2019.
I spoke with Christina Hammond and Joe Hammond, the co-founders of Producify, a digital content production company. We discussed the genesis of Producify, the mistakes that legal professionals are making in showcasing their services with video, quick ways that marketing leaders can upgrade their firm’s videos, whether high-quality video requires professional equipment, and how this type of marketing is evolving.
I spoke with Caroline Sweeney, the Director of Knowledge Management and Innovation at Dorsey & Whitney, Joy Holley, the Regional Practice Support Director for the Americas at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, and Chris Haley, the Director of Legal Technology for Troutman Sanders eMerge. We discussed the definition of analytics, why the use of analytics has become so important, the difference between artificial intelligence and analytics, ways to demystify both, how to use success metrics, and where the use of analytics is headed in 2019.
I spoke with Gabe Teninbaum, a professor at Suffolk University Law School and the Director of the Institute on Legal Innovation & Technology. We discussed Suffolk University Law School’s Legal Innovation & Technology (LIT) lab, Spaced Repetition Systems, why law schools are incorporating initiatives like the LIT lab, essential skills that current law students must have, and how law schools will be changing in the next few years.
I spoke with Wendy Curtis (named the Most Innovative Lawyer of 2018 by the Financial Times), Kate Orr, and Daryl Shetterly, the Chief Innovation Officer, the Senior Innovation Counsel, and the Director of Orrick Analytics, respectively, for Orrick, a global law firm, which the Financial Times named North America’s Most Innovative Law Firm for the third consecutive year. We discussed the alignment of Orrick’s new legal tech investment initiative with the firm’s core business, why innovation has taken a more central role in law firm operations in the past year, the impact of Orrick Analytics on the firm’s innovation roadmap, how firms can coordinate their various innovation initiatives under a single effort, best practices for creating a culture of innovation at a large global organization, ways to build multi-disciplinary teams to execute on a unified vision, and how the era of law firm innovation is evolving.
I spoke with André König, the managing partner for professional services at BusyLamp, a corporate legal operations SaaS solution for billing, matter management, and sourcing. We discussed ways that in-house legal operations teams can benefit from artificial intelligence, the maturity level of blockchain in legal departments and law firms, the common use cases for AI and blockchain in the legal community, and how prospective users can get started.
I spoke with Keith Laska, a board member for Hanzo, a software provider that captures and preserves dynamic web content to help organizations meet compliance requirements, mitigate risk, and simplify e-discovery. We discussed the biggest challenges corporations are facing today in compliance, risk management, and e-discovery, what makes the diversity of communication so difficult to monitor and manage from a legal perspective, how companies can more effectively address e-discovery and compliance challenges surrounding the use of Slack, and how e-discovery is evolving in light of the changes in how professionals communicate.
I spoke with Sacha Kirk, the co-founder and chief marketing officer for Lawcadia, an Australian software company that helps in-house legal teams manage their outside counsel relationships, including selection, budgeting, and spend. We discussed the genesis of Lawcadia, why it is necessary for in-house legal teams to leverage technology to manage their outside counsel, the associated challenges, the best practices for marketing a legal tech start-up on a global scale, and where the Australian legal tech sector is headed.
I spoke with Steve Gluckman, the founder and CEO of LawFirmElearning, a provider of customized on-demand learning for the legal industry. Steve is the co-author of E-Learning for Law Firms (American Bar Association, 2006) and a former senior fellow with Harvard University’s Center for Business and Government. We discussed the genesis of LawFirmElearning, how on-demand learning has changed across the legal industry, ways that law firms can leverage e-learning technologies, the challenges associated with doing so and where on-demand learning is headed.
I spoke with Sabina Horgan, the vice president of market development for Thread Legal, a practice management software provider based in Dublin. We discussed the genesis of Thread Legal, how small and mid-sized law firms can leverage technology to gain a competitive advantage, and the state of legal tech in Ireland.
I spoke with Warren Agin, the director of professional development at LexPredict, a consulting firm focused on legal data strategy, and the founding chair of the ABA’s Legal Analytics Committee. We discussed his new role at LexPredict, the mission of the ABA’s Legal Analytics Committee, what lawyers need to do to adapt to new technologies, the practical applications of data and analytics, and how he sees the legal field evolving.
I spoke with Allison Josephy Key, the sales lead for ZipWhip, a platform that allows law firms and their clients to leverage the firm’s existing telephone infrastructure and interact through text messaging. We discussed how Zipwhip works, the features in its platform that are most appealing to legal professionals, how users can leverage this technology to enhance their marketing and business development, the advantages of communicating through text over phone and email, and how this level of communication is evolving within the legal profession.
I spoke with Dan Anderson, co-founder and CEO of SeeUnity, a provider of content integration, migration, and synchronization products for law firms, corporations, and government agencies. We discussed the genesis of SeeUnity, the content integration challenges that law firms are facing, content transformation and how it helps law firms access, manage, and interact with their data, and what law firms should avoid as they migrate from on-premises content management systems to the cloud.
I spoke with Michele DeStefano, a professor of law at the University of Miami School of Law and the founder & executive director of LawWithoutWalls, a think tank designed to create innovations at the intersection of law, business, and technology. She is also a guest faculty member at Harvard Law School’s Executive Education program and the author of the newly released book, Legal Upheaval: A Guide to Creativity, Collaboration, and Innovation (American Bar Association, 2018). We discussed her background and work at the University of Miami School of Law, her motivation for writing Legal Upheaval: A Guide to Creativity, Collaboration, and Innovation, why she founded LawWithoutWalls, how the profession has changed in the years since she created that organization, whether innovation can be measured, and where the legal industry is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Hélène Russell, a UK-based knowledge management specialist and founder of The Knowledge Business. She helps law firms with their knowledge sharing and learning challenges through her books, training, and consulting. We discussed the genesis of The Knowledge Business, the benefits of knowledge sharing for law firms, her new program to promote virtual online coffee connections, her new book club, and how knowledge sharing programs will evolve in the coming year. Those interested in joining her virtual online coffee connections program or book club can contact her directly at helenerussell@theknowledgebusiness.co.uk.
I spoke with Jared Coseglia, the founder and CEO of TRU Staffing Partners, a contract staffing and executive placement search firm representing talent and opportunities in cybersecurity, e-discovery, and privacy. We discussed how TRU Staffing Partners has adapted to an increasingly dynamic legal market, why privacy is an increasingly popular career path, the state of the market for professions with skills in privacy, how it will continue to evolve, and a few best practices for those interested in a career in this area.
I spoke with Sean Bernstein, the co-founder of MinuteBox, a cloud-based minute book management service. We discussed the genesis of MinuteBox, how it is changing the way companies manage corporate minute books, the benefits of transitioning from a physical to a digital storage system for corporate records, the Canadian Legal Innovation Zone in Toronto, and where legal tech is headed in Canada.
I spoke with Eyal Iffergan, the president and CEO of Hyperion Global Partners, a consulting firm focused on legal business strategy and operations for the AmLaw 200 and Global 1000. We discussed the genesis of Hyperion Global Partners, how his team aligns the application of technology with consulting guidance, ways that the conversation about operational efficiency and innovation has changed in the past 10 years, and where the legal industry is headed.
I spoke with Dr. Marc Morant, the Head of Flexible Legal Resources at PwC Switzerland. We discussed the mission of PwC’s Flexible Legal Resources practice, where the company is implementing this approach, how it differs from other offerings, ways that the legal industry has changed that make the use of flexible legal resources so important, and the trajectory of the profession.
I spoke with Drew Amoroso, the founder of Move Associates, a company that focuses on professional development for lawyers. Prior to founding Move Associates, Drew was both a senior associate at a global law firm and a solo practitioner focusing on the fitness and health and wellness industries.
I spoke with Mark Ettinger, a vice president at Linguistic Systems, a language translation company. We discussed how his team performs translations, the technology it uses, its Relativity plug-in, whether neural translation technology can replace human editors, how clients are combining the two, and the challenges of remaining current with digital developments.
I spoke with Anthony Crowell, the dean and president of New York Law School, which recently launched a Business of Law Institute and released a market research report called – The Business of Law: A Market Research Study to Explore Opportunities for New York Law School Students – which helped to support the new initiative. [Disclosure: New York Law School engaged Ari Kaplan Advisors to produce this new report.] We discussed the genesis of the Business of Law Institute, why it was important for the study to combine qualitative interviews, quantitative analytics, and student focus groups, the report’s key findings, its surprises, and how the law school’s new initiative reflects the trajectory of legal education and the profession.
I spoke with Stevie Ghiassi, the co-founder and CEO of Legaler, an Australian legal technology company focused on advancing the delivery of legal services and expanding access to justice through blockchain technology. He is also the host of the LegalMeets podcast and president of the Australian Legal Technology Association. We discussed the genesis of Legaler, the state of legal technology in Australia, how Legaler is influencing access to justice, and the company’s token initiative.
I spoke with Rebecca Yoder, the director of legal technology for SpringCM, a contract lifecycle management software provider. We discussed her role at SpringCM, the adoption level of contract lifecycle management in legal, how SpringCM helps the CLM efforts of in-house legal teams, the distinction in CLM usage in buy-side and sell-side of contracts, and her advice for professionals interested in CLM.
I spoke with Stacie Neeter and Jim Mitchell, the co-leaders of the legal management consulting group at Stout, an independent advisory firm. We discussed the focus of the legal management consulting group, why legal management consulting has become so important, how technology is impacting modern law departments, ways that corporate legal teams are evolving, and the most significant trends that are driving change in the legal industry.
I spoke with Zelda Owens, the managing director of Attorney Placements for the Glenmont Group, a leading legal industry recruiting firm. She has served as director of Women in eDiscovery’s New York City chapter and as the chairperson of The Masters Conference, which just held an event in Manhattan. We discussed her role at the Glenmont Group, how the recruiting process has changed, how employment candidates can distinguish themselves in an increasingly competitive market, the areas in which technology is displacing human talent, ways that law firms and law departments can build successful teams, and where legal recruiting is headed.
I spoke with Ian Gauci, a founding partner with GTG Advocates, a law firm of 22 professionals in Malta. He serves on Malta’s National Blockchain Task Force and is one of the drafters of a new law on smart contracts, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies, and advises the government and financial institutions on fintech and blockchain matters. We discussed why distributed ledger technology like blockchain has become so popular in Malta, the unique characteristics of the Maltese legal community that fuel adoption of new technology thrive, how lawyers can take advantage of blockchain and other DLT tools, the risks of doing so, and where this sector is headed in Europe.
I spoke with Imran Jaswal, a managing director at Duff and Phelps who serves as the commercial lead for the company’s new CyberClarity360 solution. We discussed the genesis of CyberClarity360, factors that impact an organization’s cyber risk profile, how CyberClarity360 helps third-party vendors improve their cybersecurity, and ways that it is being used to navigate GDPR.
I spoke with Yves Lefere, the commercial director at Knowliah, a Belgium-based provider of a new digital workplace platform for corporate legal departments in Europe. We discussed what Knowliah offers the legal market, how its technology has evolved since it was founded two decades ago, the overall appetite for legal technology in Belgium, the challenges European corporate legal departments are trying to overcome with legal technology, and where the European legal tech market is headed in the next year.
I spoke with Esther Dediashvili, the legal knowledge manager and head of legal technology implementation at Fischer Behar Chen Well Orion & Co, one of the largest law firms in Israel. We discussed the impact of knowledge management in Israeli law firms, its significance, how technology contributes to legal knowledge management, and the future of legal technology in Israel.
I spoke with Doug Geller, the founder and president of GDSI, a software company that specializes in solving challenges in the legal industry by developing custom tools and augmenting existing applications for law firms, legal departments, and legal software vendors focused on document and records management, case management, and practice management. We discussed the genesis of GDSI, the benefits of writing custom software, and where the market for custom software is headed.
I spoke with Emily Foges, the CEO of Luminance, an artificial intelligence platform for the legal profession. We discussed the genesis of Luminance, the challenges associated with the adoption of technology at law firms, characteristics of the law firm of 2030, and what the emergence of technology like Luminance means for the future of legal services.
I spoke with Andrew King, the founder & strategic advisor of E-Discovery Consulting, which provides litigation support guidance to law firms and corporate legal departments throughout New Zealand. He is also the creator of the LawFest New Zealand conference. We discussed the genesis of LawFest New Zealand, why legal tech conferences have become so popular, the challenges associated with developing a legal tech conference, the legal tech climate in New Zealand, and the value of a legal tech index.
I spoke with Soon Yi Loo, the co-founder and CEO of CanLaw Asia, a legal tech consultancy for law firms and corporate legal departments in Malaysia. He is also the creator of the LexTech conference, which is an event focused on educating legal professionals in Malaysia about how to enhance their practices through technology. We discussed the genesis of CanLaw Asia and the LexTech conference, how legal technology is perceived in Malaysia, the most popular type of legal technology in the country, whether lawyers in Malaysia are receptive to the application of technology to their practices, where the legal tech sector in Malaysia is headed.
I spoke with Dan Hauck and Bradlee Duncan, the vice president of Product & User Experience, and the senior product manager, respectively, for NetDocuments, a cloud-based content management platform for law firms and corporate legal departments. We discussed the company’s recent launch of ndMail, a predictive email tool, its implementation of ndThread, based on its acquisition of ThreadKM, how NetDocuments reconciles security with usability in its approach to developing technology, and the future of collaboration.
I spoke with Casey Flaherty, the founder of Procertas and the creator of the Legal Technology Assessment, a competency-based learning and benchmarking platform focused on the core technology associated with the delivery of legal services. We discussed the genesis of the Legal Technology Assessment, its advantages for employers and professionals, how law schools are leveraging it to transform legal education, and the misalignment between hiring expectations and technological proficiency.
I spoke with Robb Caruso, a vice president with Compliance Discovery Solutions, a service provider that offers defensible discovery support for law firms and corporate legal departments. We discussed the genesis of the company’s Discovery-as-a-Service offering, who benefits from that model, what is driving the interest in alternative efforts at managing discovery, and what the emergence of strategies like Discovery-as-a-Service indicate about the evolution of the legal market.
I spoke with Pratik Patel, the vice president of innovation and products at Elevate Services, a law company, where he leads the company’s product business and innovation initiatives across its range of solutions. Pratik joined Elevate in 2012 following the acquisition of RFx LEGAL Analytics, a company he co-founded. We discussed Elevate’s launch of ElevateNext in connection with Valorem Law Group and Univar, what combinations of this type signifies about the evolution of the legal profession, how lawyers can adapt to a rapidly changing legal marketplace, why alternative legal services providers are so attractive to buyers of legal services, and where this sector is headed.
I spoke with Arup Das, the co-founder and CEO of Alphaserve, a global provider of managed IT, cloud, and cybersecurity services. We discussed the genesis of Alphaserve, how the collaboration between legal and IT is evolving in corporate legal departments and law firms, whether law firms are ready for the emergence of artificial intelligence, applied data science, and blockchain, and the trajectory of innovation in the legal field.
I spoke with Darrell Mervau, the president and co-founder of FileTrail, a records management and information governance system for law firms. We discussed the genesis of FileTrail, what law firms using legacy records systems can do to improve their processes, the different platforms with which FileTrail integrates, and the information governance challenges that law firms are facing and the solutions they are they applying.
I spoke with Ida Abbott, the president of Ida Abbott Consulting, which promotes and supports career development and advancement from the beginning of a lawyer’s career through retirement. Abbott is an elected fellow of both the American Bar Foundation and the College of Law Practice Management, as well as the author of Sponsoring Women, What Men Need to Know and The Lawyer’s Guide to Mentoring, the second edition of which was just released. We discussed her background, how mentoring has changed since the publication of the first edition of The Lawyer’s Guide to Mentoring, the challenges to providing high quality mentoring, the difference between sponsorship and mentorship, and how the profession can leverage mentoring in its continued evolution.
I spoke with Jim Beckett, the CEO of Qualmet, the developers of a cloud-based law firm performance management platform. We discussed the genesis of Qualmet, how it works, ways that law firms and corporate legal departments are using its technology, and where the sector is headed.
I spoke with Chris Kave, the founder of Aurora North Software, a software and services provider delivering IP solutions and Intapp products for law firms. We discussed the genesis of Aurora North Software, why patent and trademark prosecution has become so important in the current economic climate, how the company is building automation into its processes, useful analytics organizations can generate by tracking patent and trademark prosecution, and what law firms should evaluate to determine whether their current prosecution processes are sufficient.
I spoke with Christina Wojcik, the vice president of solution consulting for Seal Software, where she leads the company’s technical and legal solution consultancy, at the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium 2018 Institute. We discussed the impact of regulatory changes, including GDPR, on the corporate law department, the role of legal operations leaders in promoting innovation, and the rising importance of contract management.
I spoke with Basha Frost Rubin, the co-founder and CEO of Priori, a legal talent platform for corporate counsel to find, hire, and manage top lawyers, at the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium 2018 Institute about the genesis of Priori and the trends that are driving change in the legal industry.
I spoke with Lukas Bell and Chris Neville, who are implementation consultants for KIM Technologies, an artificial intelligence-driven automation software platform, at the 2018 Corporate Legal Operations Consortium Institute. We discussed CLOC‘s focus on innovation and their mission to empower legal professionals.
I spoke with Jon Squire, the chief marketing officer at ContractPodAI, a provider of contract intelligence software, about the rise of AI-powered contract management, the company’s growth, and its mission at the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium 2018 Institute.
I spoke with Shmuli Goldberg, the vice president of marketing for LawGeex, an artificial intelligence tool for contract review automation. We discussed how LawGeex works, its recent research study – AI vs. Lawyers – comparing the performance of its technology with 20 human reviewers, how the perception and acceptance of automation has changed, whether an AI tool can mimic the talent, experience, and judgment of a practicing lawyer, and if lawyers are still relevant.
I spoke with Dan Carmel, the chief marketing officer at iManage, a leading provider of work product management solutions for law firms, corporate legal departments, and other professional services firms. We discussed the evolution of iManage, its acquisition of RAVN and how the company is incorporating artificial intelligence into its platform, why AI is so important for providers of legal and professional services, the key themes of its upcoming user conference – ConnectLive 2018 – on May 3rd and 4th, and where the sector is headed.
I spoke with Larry Bridgesmith, an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School and the co-creator of the school’s Summit on Law & Innovation (SoLI), which will take place on April 30th in Nashville. We discussed the genesis of the Summit on Law & Innovation, how this differs from other law school-sponsored conferences, and the benefits of cognitive diversity and radical collaboration.
I spoke with Derek Duarte, the president of BlackStone Discovery, which integrates e-discovery, consulting, forensics, case management, and technology development for law firms and corporate legal teams worldwide, with a focus on the West Coast of the U.S. and Asia. We discussed key trends in electronic discovery, where organizations are incorporating innovation into their discovery processes, how they can negotiate the scope of their discovery requests, how metadata impacts e-discovery strategy, and where e-discovery support is headed.
I spoke with Bill Hamilton, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law and the executive director of the UF Law E-Discovery Project, which is hosting the UF Law E-Discovery Conference on Thursday, March 29th. Bill practiced with Holland & Knight in Miami and Tampa for 27 years and at Quarles & Brady in Tampa for six, where he served as the firm’s national e-discovery partner. We discussed the UF Law E-Discovery Conference on Thursday, March 29th, the Careerfest component of the event, the consortium of professors meeting after the conference to discuss e-discovery education in law schools, and how individuals can remotely take advantage of the content (as the law school will be live streaming and recording the sessions).
I spoke with Michelle Desachy, the vibe manager for the Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico. We discussed her role at the facility, the importance of maintaining a unified culture, and the value of understanding client interests to constantly improve customer service.
I spoke with Joe Garber, the global head of product marketing for information management and governance at Micro Focus, a global software company that among many other tools, develops security and risk solutions, as well as predictive analytics. We discussed in the increased interest in predictive analytics, how professionals are approaching security and risk in 2018, the challenges associated with encouraging enterprises to adopt stronger information governance strategies, and what the rise of tools like those offered by Micro Focus indicate about the trajectory of the legal industry.
I spoke with Keith Lee, a lawyer, author, and blogger in Birmingham, Alabama. He has been blogging at Associates Mind for eight years and recently created LawyerSmack, a private community for attorneys interested in discussing practice-related issues with their peers in real time. We discussed the genesis of LawyerSmack, how it works, the community’s most active groups, what is driving its popularity, the surprising benefits of its creation, and what its growth indicates about the changing nature of communication in the legal profession.
I spoke with David Cowen, the president and managing director of The Cowen Group, a staffing and recruiting firm focusing exclusively on the eDiscovery, litigation support, privacy, security, and information governance sectors. His firm also produces the Summit on Legal Innovation and Disruption in various cities across the U.S We discussed the genesis of the SOLID summit, why the legal industry so focused on innovation and disruption this year, how individuals can give themselves an advantage in an increasingly competitive job market, and how events like SOLID capture the evolution of the legal profession.
I spoke with Konrad Pola, the co-Founder and CEO of Diligen, a software platform designed to help law firms and law departments with their contract and legal document review efforts. We discussed the genesis of Diligen, what is driving the interest in artificial intelligence, whether law firms and legal departments ready to embrace AI, what legal teams should look for when considering an AI solution, and where AI adoption is headed in 2018.
I spoke with Ray Zwiefelhofer, the president of World Software Corporation, the maker of Worldox, a leading document management platform, at Legaltech 2018 about the company’s 30th anniversary, the importance of company culture, and the most significant issues affecting the evolution of the legal industry. The company will be exhibiting at the ABA Techshow this week in Chicago and recently shared details on its global expansion.
I spoke with Andrey Zinoviev, the co-founder and CEO of Visabot, an artificial intelligence tool designed to help businesses and consumers navigate immigration issues. The company was a participant in the first cohort of the LexisNexis Legal Tech Accelerator. We discussed the genesis of Visabot, how it works, why immigration law is a field that artificial intelligence can empower, and how AI is impacting similar areas of the law.
I spoke with Ross Guberman, the founder of Legal Writing Pro. He provides training on legal writing worldwide and recently released Brief Catch, a Microsoft Word plug-in that offers detailed editorial suggestions to improve your writing and metrics to benchmark your performance. We discussed the genesis of Brief Catch, how the software compares to human editors, the most significant writing issues that it identifies, ways that it helps legal professionals, who is using it, and how tools like Brief Catch are transforming training and development.
I spoke with Alma Asay, the chief innovation officer for Integreon, an alternative legal services provider, which acquired Allegory, a cloud-based litigation management platform that she founded. We discussed her new role at Integreon, the highs and lows of starting a legal tech company, how the hierarchy of people, process, and technology has changed, projected advancements in litigation management, and guidance on the changing nature of the legal tech community, among other topics.
I spoke with Rick Merrill, the founder and CEO of Gavelytics at Legaltech 2018 about the advantages of attending the conference for newer entrepreneurs.
I spoke with Hal Marcus, the director of product marketing for OpenText Discovery at Legaltech New York 2018 about the convergence of various disciplines and the need for a holistic solution to respond to this trend.
I spoke with Mark Smolik, the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for DHL Supply Chain Americas prior to the lead panel discussion at the Business of Law Forum during Legalweek 2018.
I spoke with Josh Becker, the CEO of Lex Machina, and Jeff Pfeifer, the vice president of product management for LexisNexis, about Legaltech 2018 and the emphasis on analytics.
I had the privilege of speaking with Doug Austin, the vice president of products and professional services for CloudNine, on the first day of Legaltech.
I had the privilege of speaking with Yaniv Schiff, the director of forensics for QDiscovery, on the first day of Legaltech.
I had the privilege of speaking with Jason Smith, senior director and legal counsel for Apttus, about his expectations for Legaltech 2018.
I had the privilege of speaking with Valerie Chan, the founder and CEO of Plat4orm PR, about her expectations for Legaltech 2018.
I spoke with Steve Harber, the co-founder and managing director of Apogee Legal, which provides customized artificial intelligence solutions that help M&A, regulatory, and legal professionals to assess the risk and compliance issues associated with their contracts and due diligence matters. Prior to launching Apogee Legal, he co-founded DiscoverReady, a leading provider of e-discovery managed services.
I spoke with Chris Wong, the CEO of LifeSite, which offers a secure digital storage solution for families and businesses interested in protecting their valuable records. We discussed the genesis of LifeSite, the types of information users are storing, organizing and sharing, and how tools like LifeSite reflect the evolving nature of professional services.
I spoke with Charlie Connor, the co-founder and CEO of Heretik, a software company that uses machine learning to make the contract review process smarter, helping attorneys identify risks, obligations, and opportunities in their documents. We discussed the genesis of Heretik, how it works, ways that the technology helps clients grow their practices, and the impact of the company’s culture and leadership philosophy on product development and client service.
I spoke with Avaneesh Marwaha, the CEO of Litera Microsystems, the company that represents the consolidation of Litera, The Sackett Group, and Microsystems, which produces software to assist lawyers with drafting documents. We discussed the newly consolidated organization, the inspiration for the merger of Litera, The Sackett Group and Microsystems, how that integration differentiates the organization in the market, the client response, and how the combination of the three companies into a single entity reflects the changing nature of legal technology.
I spoke with Gillian Power, the chief information officer for Lathrop Gage, an AmLaw 200 firm, and Jed Bronstein, a consultant with InOutsource, an information governance consulting and technology implementation services provider. We discussed why information governance has become such an important part of law firm operations, how Lathrop Gage addresses information governance, the most important skills and techniques necessary for optimally approaching this area, common IG misconceptions at law firms, and where the field is headed.
I spoke with Adi Prakash, the chief innovation officer and head of global client services for Yerra Solutions, a consulting firm that combines human expertise with technology to provide solutions to clients worldwide in the legal, e-discovery, and compliance sectors. We discussed the launch of the company’s Clearly 2.0 initiative focused on legal operations, how it expands the e-billing and legal and matter management capabilities of it users, ways that the initiative’s contract intake and management service incorporates artificial intelligence, and why the evolution of the Clearly program reflects the changing nature of legal practice.
I spoke with a number of the participants from the LexisNexis Legal Tech Accelerator, including: Ryan Alshak, the CEO of Ping, an artificial intelligence-supported timekeeping and analytics platform for enterprise-level time and billing at law firms; Alex Hewitt, the director of operations for vTestify, a web application that enables lawyers to conduct depositions and gather testimony remotely; Tunji Williams, the co-founder and CEO of DealWIP, a cloud-based workflow integration platform for corporate legal matters; and, David Schnurman, the CEO of Lawline, a leading provider of continuing legal education, who shared insights from his upcoming book – Break Through Your Walls: Bring Your Entrepreneurial Sledgehammer. We discussed lessons learned in 2017, how the legal industry will shift in 2018, and ways that legal tech start-ups take advantage of new technology, changing expectations, and general market trends in the New Year.
I spoke with Gabe Galanda, the co-founder and managing lawyer of Galanda Broadman, an Indian Country law firm, with headquarters in Seattle. We discussed his background and the genesis of Galanda Broadman, how he identified his preferred practice area, his approach to case selection, his firm’s commitment to addressing tribal disenrollment, how he divides his time between business development and practicing law, and his recommendations for lawyers seeking to build a practice or students interested in striking out on their own.
I spoke with Somya Kaushik, a litigator turned legal tech entrepreneur, who is the founder of Esq.Me, a legal document marketplace where lawyers can buy and sell their documents nationwide. We discussed the genesis of Esq.me, the company’s mission, how it helps lawyers, the challenges associated with the transition from practicing law to starting a legal tech company, how legal technology has changed the legal landscape, and advice for law students graduating in 2018.
I spoke with Scott Stuart and Drew Stern, the co-founders and co-CEOs of Esquify, a cloud-based machine learning productivity and benchmarking tool that helps document reviewers perform more efficiently. We discussed the genesis of Esquify, how it works, the biggest problem in document review today, Esquify’s partnership with Relativity, and how Esquify’s focus on decentralization reflects the changing nature of litigation.
I spoke with Alex Hamilton, the founder and CEO of Radiant Law, a UK-based law firm that helps clients with high volumes of commercial contracts by combining processes, technology, and human judgment. Alex was previously a partner and co-chair of the global technology transactions group at Latham & Watkins in London. We discussed the genesis of Radiant Law, how it differs from a traditional law firm, ways that the firm’s team develops and deploys technology, its culture, and why the delivery of managed legal services has become so popular.
I spoke with Josh Leavitt, the CEO of ZokuVault, a virtual safety deposit box and estate planning portal, which helps families plan, organize, and share valuable documents. We discussed the genesis of ZokuVault, how it works, ways that it differs from cloud-based document storage tools, and how a tool like ZokuVault reflects the impact of technology on the practice of law.
I spoke with Rachel Travers, the vice president of Lexis Practice Advisor® and Analytical Content, responsible for all of the authored content for the US LexisNexis business. We discussed how attorneys use Lexis Practice Advisor, the platform’s evolution given the increased focus on productivity, efficiency and workflow, its recent integration with Intelligize‘s search tools, and why practical guidance is such an important element of modern law practice.
I spoke with Laura Leopard, the founder and CEO of Leopard Solutions, a research company that provides various databases for legal recruiters, attorneys, law firms, corporations, and law schools. The company’s competitive intelligence program, Firmscape, offers current and historical data for the legal industry. We discussed the genesis of Leopard Solutions, the value of competitive intelligence, key industry trends, and how the legal industry is using data more proactively to make decisions.
I spoke with Doug Striker, the president and CEO of Savvy Training & Consulting, which helps law firms optimize their existing technology through training. Prior to founding Savvy Training & Consulting, Doug served as the chief operating officer for a mid-sized law firm. We discussed the genesis of Savvy Training & Consulting, how a law firm implements lean training, best practices for firms that are struggling with productivity, the most popular training programs, and potential changes in this sector.
I spoke with Chris Cartrett, the executive vice president of Aderant, a legal industry time and billing software company. We discussed how law firms adapting and responding to the changing legal market, examples of innovations that dynamic organizations are implementing, the types of technology that can provide the biggest impact on law firm efficiency and profitability, how a law firm can display agility in its approach, and key areas of potential change in the legal industry.
I spoke with Nancy Mertzel, former chair of Herrick, Feinstein’s intellectual property group, who recently founded Mertzel Law PLLC, a boutique IP law firm. We discussed the genesis of Mertzel Law, the greatest challenges to brand protection in today’s competitive marketplace, the unique obstacles that former large firm attorneys face in launching solo practices, the key qualities for success in today’s environment, and advice for new lawyers entering the profession seeking to achieve work-life balance.
I spoke with Barrie Hadfield, the co-founder and chief technology officer for Workshare, a software company focused on professional services with customers around the world. We discussed the genesis of Workshare, the role that craftsmanship plays in developing software, its partnerships with Google and HighQ, how the legal industry has evolved over the past two decades, and where the legal technology sector is headed.
I spoke with Mike McDonald, the senior vice president and general manager of legal compliance and surveillance for Veritone, an artificial intelligence software company. We discussed the genesis of Veritone, how it adapts artificial intelligence for the legal community, the company’s integration with Relativity, how its technology differs from other tools on the market, and where AI is headed within the legal sector.
I spoke with Charles Mirho, the Chief Legal Officer and co-founder of TurboPatent, the developer of an automated patent creation and analytics system used to produce patent documents and monitor patent quality throughout the prosecution process. We discussed the genesis of TurboPatent, the challenges associated with the current practice of how lawyers review patents, how legal teams are applying artificial intelligence in patent protection, how RoboReview and RapidResponse affect the patent prosecution process, and how patent lawyers can leverage technology to improve the process of responding to office actions by the US PTO.
I spoke with Aaron Crews, the general counsel and vice president of strategy for Text IQ, a developer of technology that helps enterprises manage legal and compliance challenges. Prior to joining Text IQ, Aaron was senior associate general counsel and global head of eDiscovery for Walmart. We discussed his new role at Text IQ, how Text IQ defines AI, what differentiates Text IQ’s technology from others in the marketplace, and how law and compliance are evolving for an AI-future.
I spoke with Jim Cranston, a principal with LawVision Group, a law firm consultancy focused on growing firm revenue, strengthening lawyer confidence, and maintaining client loyalty. We discussed the genesis of LawVision Group, the levels at which business development coaching and training are most effective, what a professional should look for in a business development coach, the most common rainmaker traits, and general misconceptions about rainmakers.
I spoke with Larry Port, the founder and CEO of Rocket Matter, a leading practice management and time and billing software tool for law firms. We discussed how changes in the way lawyers practice are driving the evolution of the company’s technology, its new Atlas Gold edition and redesigned mobile application, the importance of calendaring rules and security to law firm operations, and where the legal industry is headed.
I spoke with Jason R. Baron, of counsel to Drinker, Biddle & Reath, and the founder of The Chelly Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on improving literacy and education for children living in Cambodia. We discussed the genesis of The Chelly Foundation, the organization’s mission, the types of projects it is supporting, and the organization’s fundraising event at Gulliver’s Gate in New York City on Thursday September 14th at 6pm.
I spoke with Abdi Shayesteh, the founder and CEO of AltaClaro, an experiential learning platform for lawyers, who served for fifteen years as a corporate, bank regulatory and finance attorney in Silicon Valley and New York City, as well as throughout Asia, the Middle East and Europe. We discussed the genesis of AltaClaro, the variety of content that it offers, and the evolution of online learning.
I spoke with Ryan Adams, the resort manager for the Chatham Bars Inn. We discussed the connection between customer service and client satisfaction, how technology is impacting client expectations, and the key elements of adding value.
I spoke with Bruce Malter, the director of client engagement for eTERA Consulting at the 2017 Masters Conference in New York City. We discussed what vendors can do to stand out, how technology has normalized, and where the industry is headed.
I spoke with Haley Altman, the co-founder and CEO of Doxly, a secure transaction management platform that centralizes checklists and reporting, and tracks documents, versions, and tasks, while automating signature management. We discussed the genesis of Doxly and the power of client collaboration at ILTACON 2017.
I spoke with Montina Portis, the founder and CEO of Creative Internet Authority, a digital marketing company that specializes in video production and promotion for lawyers and law firms. We discussed the genesis of the Creative Internet Authority, why video is an important element of law firm marketing, the types of videos lawyers should create, and the future of legal marketing.
I spoke with Chuck Cole, the director of client engagement for Lucid IQ, the maker of CaseManagerPro, at the 2017 ILTA Conference. We discussed how developing a conversation with users can enhance their experience with technology.
I spoke with Silvia Hodges Silverstein, the executive director of the Buying Legal Council, the international trade organization for legal procurement, and John de Forte, a London-based consultant to law and other professional services firms, who is the author of Winning Proposals: The Essential Guide for Law Firms and Legal Services Providers, which the Buying Legal Council published in July. We discussed the genesis of the Buying Legal Council, de Forte’s new book, Winning Proposals: The Essential Guide for Law Firms and Legal Services Providers, how law firms should measure the ROI of proposal activities, what winning proposals have in common, and the North American Legal Procurement Conference on September 6th in New York.
I spoke with Brian Kuhn and Shawnna Hoffman, the Global Leaders and Co-Creators of IBM Watson Legal. The duo delivered the day two keynote address at the 2017 ILTA Conference called – Transforming the Business of Law with Cognitive Computing: Watson Legal. We discussed the impact of AI on the business of law, the practical applications of that technology, which include reducing outside counsel spend and data reuse, and where the industry is headed.
I spoke with Jack Thompson, the Senior Manager of eDiscovery & Legal Operations at Sanofi US. He is also the International Legal Technology Association’s Programming Planning Council Member responsible for Law Department Relationships. We discussed his background and role with ILTA, as well as the various sessions that has is producing at the 2017 ILTA Conference to promote a dialogue between vendor, law firm, and law department leaders.
I spoke with Ishan Girdhar, the CEO of Privva, Inc., a software company focused on identifying and managing third party vendor risk throughout the data lifecycle. We discussed the genesis of Privva, how the legal industry addresses third party risk, what can law firms do to prevent or manage third party risk from their vendors, the biggest challenge that legal organizations are facing regarding cyber security, and how the legal industry is evolving in the current security environment.
spoke with Peter Zver, the president of Tikit North America, the maker of the timekeeping software tool, Carpe Diem. We discussed how timekeeping generally and Carpe Diem have evolved in the past 18 months, the most common features that clients are requesting, the importance of forecasting in timekeeping, and what the company will be showcasing at ILTACON 2017.
I spoke with Rob Wescott, the chief revenue officer for ayfie, a text analytics company that adds structure to unstructured information. We discussed the genesis of ayfie, how the company’s technology differs from others in this sector, ways that it enables technology assisted review and continuous active learning, its distribution model, and what the company will be announcing at ILTACON 2017.
I spoke with Robert Childress, the founder of the Masters Conference. We discussed the genesis of the event series, techniques for offering a seamless portfolio of content, aligning the discussions and speakers across various cities, and remaining relevant in a dynamically shifting market.
I spoke with Michael Potters, the CEO of the Glenmont Group, an executive search firm in the legal and information governance sectors, on site at the 2017 New York City Masters Conference. We discussed the current job market, areas of opportunity, and the art of executive search in the legal community.
I spoke with Robert Ventura, a partner with the TCF Law Group and a former general counsel, who provides outside GC services to companies of various sizes. We discussed e-discovery budgeting pitfalls that in-house legal teams should avoid, vendor management, and the focus of his panel discussion at the Masters Conference hosted by ClariLegal – Practical Technology Evaluations: A Framework for Considering Vendors and Technology.
I spoke with Barry Ader, the vice president of product management and marketing for Wolters Kluwer’s Enterprise Legal Management Solutions division, which helps corporate legal departments and insurance claims divisions with their legal technology needs. We discussed the recent release by Wolters Kluwer’s ELM Solutions division of LegalVIEW BillAnalyzer to support billing guideline compliance and cost management, how it differs from similar applications on the market, and ways that it impacts the attorney/client relationship.
I spoke with Cash Butler, the founder and CEO of ClariLegal, a legal vendor management and marketplace platform that minimizes the complexity of managing litigation vendor services. We discussed the genesis of ClariLegal, the benefits of legal vendor management, how ClariLegal’s software reflects the evolution of legal services, and the panel discussions he is moderating at the 2017 New York Masters Conference on July 25th.
I spoke with Tariq Hafeez, the co-founder and president of LegalEase Solutions, a legal support firm for corporate legal teams and law firms. We discussed the genesis of LegalEase, the problems the company solves, the types of matters that law firms and corporate legal departments outsource, how the company differs from competing legal support firms, and where the practice of law is headed.
I spoke with Nehal Madhani, the founder and CEO of Alt Legal, an intellectual property docketing software company. Prior to pursuing this venture, he spent four years as an associate with Kirkland & Ellis in New York. We discussed the evolution of Alt Legal from its initial mission upon which Madhani founded the company in 2013 and the power of a pivot, how the company’s customer base has expanded over the past four years, its recent collaboration with Wolters Kluwer, ways that Alt Legal’s technology applies across jurisdictions, and advice for hopeful legal tech entrepreneurs.
I spoke with Chelsey Lambert, the founder of Lex Tech Review, an online resource center for legal professionals. We discussed the genesis of Lex Tech Review, how the site selects companies about which it writes, ways that technology can suit a user’s personality, and the benefits of software reviews for solo and small firm lawyers, among other topics.
I spoke with Matt Miller, the founder & CEO of Embroker, a tech-enabled commercial insurance broker that provides insurance to legal and professional services firms. We discussed the genesis of Embroker, how it differs from a traditional insurance brokerage firm, the benefits that technology provides in the process of purchasing or managing insurance, and how this business will impact the overall market for professional services insurance.
I spoke with Rob Lancashire, the CEO of Essencient, which offers patented natural language processing technology to provide metadata that enables insight and profitable action from natural language text. We discussed the genesis of Essencient, how the technology works, its common applications, and how natural language processing is impacting the current market.
I spoke with Haresh Bhungalia and David Carns, the CEO and Executive Vice President, respectively of Casepoint, an e-discovery technology and services provider. We discussed the genesis of Casepoint and its rebranding, how it marries proprietary technology with services, the impact of artificial intelligence on e-discovery, key litigation challenges that clients are facing in the current environment, and where the e-discovery market is headed.
I spoke with Stacey McConnell, an attorney and the co-founder of the Adept Legal Talent Group, a legal placement firm. We discussed the genesis of the Adept Legal Talent Group, what makes the firm unique, the background and levels of experience the firm is seeking, its target clients, and tips that employers should consider when engaging in the talent acquisition process.
I spoke with Brian McManus, the CEO of Lighthouse eDiscovery, a provider of technology-enabled ediscovery and consulting services, which recently merged with Discovia, a company that provides complementary technology and services. We discussed the merger of Lighthouse eDiscovery with Discovia, the advantages of that combination to clients of the unified entity, ways that changes in the legal industry have increased the demand for dynamic consulting, how the association of the two companies reflects the changing nature of consolidation, and techniques for ensuring seamless cultural alignment.
I spoke with Keri Norris, the senior vice president for regulatory affairs and chief legal officer at LegalShield, a provider of pre-paid legal services. We discussed the chief legal officer’s role at LegalShield, the benefits of pre-paid legal services, the organization’s Elevate by LegalShield conference (July 6-8, 2017), and how the company is adapting to the changing legal market.
I spoke with Zach Abramowitz, the founder of ReplyAll, which he describes as a new way to create conversations online. Zach is also a speaker and writer on innovation, as well as a former stand-up comedian, producer at ESPN radio, and corporate lawyer. His columns and conversations on legal disruption appear in Above the Law, Bloomberg, and TechCrunch. We discussed the genesis of ReplyAll, how it works, the challenges associated with creating a technology start-up, how stand-up comedy fueled his work, the connection between ReplyAll and legal tech, and available opportunities for disruption in the legal field.
I spoke with Elisa Cooper, the vice president of marketing for Lecorpio, a provider of intellectual property management and analytics software solutions for corporate IP departments. We discussed the results of the Second Annual Lecorpio Trademark Management Study, highlights ranging from budgeting for trademark registrations to trademark policing strategies, the primary theme of the research, and what the results indicate about where the market is headed.
I spoke with Steven Sinofsky, a board partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, where he serves as an advisor to various companies, including as a board member of the e-discovery software provider, Everlaw. We discussed why law-related software is so attractive right now, whether a VC firm calculates the valuation of an e-discovery company differently from a prospect in any other industry, how long it takes to evaluate a company for an investment, ways that a board member supports the strategy of a portfolio company, and what the appeal of legal technology says about where the market is headed.
I spoke with Jeff Pfeifer, the vice president of product management at LexisNexis, where he is responsible for product development strategy for the company’s electronic solutions portfolio. We discussed how the exponential growth in data is presenting new challenges in legal research, what is necessary to empower the data driven lawyer of the future, ways that machine learning and artificial intelligence are impacting the legal field, and how the evolution of analytics is influencing the predictability of trial outcomes, among other topics.
I spoke with Justin Hectus, the CIO and CISO of Keesal Young & Logan, a Pacific rim-based law firm with a nationwide litigation practice. We discussed the law firm’s partnership with Privva to collaboratively implement the EDRM’s new Security Audit Questionnaire, why law firms should apply the questionnaire to their vendor risk management programs, other standards and regulations driving change in law firm security audits and controls, and how this type of collaboration is impacting the legal industry.
I spoke with Catherine Krow, the founder of Digitory Legal, a legal budgeting and resource management system for lawyers and corporate law departments. Before starting Digitory Legal, Catherine practiced for 17 years and was a litigation partner in the San Francisco office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. We discussed the genesis of Digitory Legal, why legal budgeting and resource management are important issues for law firms and their clients, how the Digitory Legal system works, key trends, and advice for lawyers practicing in today’s legal market.
I spoke with Max Rosenthal, an in-house labor and employment attorney with a large media company, who is also the author of The Bridge: How to Launch Your Career Through a Legal Internship. We discussed his interest in writing the book, what law students and newer lawyers should be focusing on in the current market, strategies for finding an internship or a mentor, the greatest challenges ahead for law students and new practitioners, and what employers are looking for when hiring a legal intern or a junior attorney.
I spoke with Steve Couling, the vice president of international at kCura, the developers of Relativity. His team works with corporations, law firms, government agencies, and its channel of Relativity authorized partners in EMEA, Asia Pacific and South America, and produces Relativity Fest in London. We disclosed how the e-disclosure industry has evolved in the UK, the impact of Brexit and GDBR, among others, on that shift, kCura’s decision to bring Relativity Fest to London (registration link), and what attendees can expect at this year’s conference.
I spoke with Lauryn Haake, a managing director for HBR Consulting, a company focused on law firm and law department operations. We discussed the rise of contract lifecycle management (CLM), the most pressing issues in this area, how legal teams can apply CLM, the one thing that teams should focus on if they want to successfully manage their contracts, and where the CLM sector headed. Lauryn will also be speaking at the upcoming Apttus Accelerate conference in San Francisco.
I spoke with Kiwi Camara and Neil Etheridge, CEO and vice president of marketing, respectively, for DISCO, a cloud-based e-discovery software provider. We discussed the genesis of DISCO, how its technology is influencing the modern practice of law, its business model, and where the e-discovery software sector is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Peter Rouse, an intellectual property lawyer and a serial entrepreneur, who is the founder of the Rouse Firm, an international intellectual property consulting business. Peter is also the author of Every Relationship Matters: Using the Power of Relationships to Transform Your Business, Your Firm, and Yourself, the second edition of which the ABA released last summer. We discussed the genesis and new edition of Every Relationship Matters: Using the Power of Relationships to Transform Your Business, Your Firm, and Yourself, how technology is impacting the way lawyers practice, Where professionals should focus their efforts and develop skills to remain relevant, and whether one can create an instruction manual for a successful professional career. Peter also shared two of his key career themes: (1) Do what you say you are going to do to build trust; and (2) Managing expectations is what client service is about.
I spoke with Adam Cohen, an attorney and a managing director with the Berkeley Research Group, a global strategic advisory and expert consulting firm. He is a Certified Ethical Hacker and provides guidance on data governance, compliance, and security, including cybersecurity, digital forensics and electronic discovery. We discussed his role at the Berkeley Research Group, the work he performs as an ethical hacker, his evolution from a law firm partner to a consultant with technical data security certifications, the distinctions between the challenges that in-house lawyers face versus those of their outside counsel, and where data governance is headed.
I spoke with Brett Owens, the founder and CEO of Chrometa, a time keeping software platform for lawyers and other professionals who bill hourly. We discussed the genesis of Chrometa, the difference between timekeeping software and time entry technology, key time capture trends, and where the market is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Ben Whetsell, a co-founder of Paper Software, the developer of Contract Tools for Windows and Turner for Mac, which are contract review and analysis tools. We discussed the genesis of Paper Software, why legal professionals need contract review and analysis technology, and how the evolution of the way lawyers practice impacts the need for tools of this type.
I spoke with Phil Homburger, president of LawBase, a leading case and matter management system, and David Rueff, a shareholder and the legal project management officer at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, who oversees the development of the firm’s legal project management solution, BakerManage, and is on the board of directors of the firm’s subsidiary, LegalShift, which is collaborating with LawBase to bring its technology to the broader market. We discussed BakerManage and the genesis of its development, the collaboration between Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC and LawBase, why project management has become so important for legal professionals, and what an initiative like this one symbolizes about the evolution of the legal industry, among other topics.
I spoke with Dean Sappey, the President and co-founder of DocsCorp, a software company that develops a range of document productivity and security tools for law firms, including pdfDocs, compareDocs, contentCrawler, and cleanDocs. We discussed the genesis of DocsCorp, how the use of digital files is impacting the legal profession, GDPR compliance and how that treatment of digital information is affecting data security and privacy, and upcoming software developments in the legal industry.
I spoke with Mark Noel, the Managing Director of Professional Services for Catalyst, a provider of litigation support software and services. We discussed the webinar Catalyst hosted with Rees Morrison of Altman Weil, Inc. – Centralize, Simplify, Save – How to Leverage Technology to Decrease Outside Legal Spending – focused on the results of the consulting firm’s 2016 Chief Legal Officer Survey, how the report addresses the approach to metrics and cost reduction by corporate counsel, why outside counsel should provide that information to their clients, and ways that artificial intelligence and machine learning are helping to respond to the concerns of chief legal officers, among other topics.
I spoke with Jared Coseglia, the founder and CEO of TRU Staffing Partners, a leading e-discovery and cybersecurity staffing agency. We discussed the genesis of TRU Staffing Partners, current trends in e-discovery and cybersecurity talent acquisition, the impact of consolidation on the industry, the emerging legal technology gig economy, the e-discovery and cybersecurity roles that are in greatest demand, and tips for gaining a competitive advantage in your career or the job market.
I spoke with Chris Chalstrom, Brandon Ward, and Ben Legatt, the founders of Sadie Blue Software, the maker of Agility Blue, a project management tool for the legal profession. We discussed the genesis of Sadie Blue Software, the problems that Agility Blue solves, why project management has become so important in efficiently managing legal projects, and how the development of tools like Agility Blue reflect where the legal market is headed in 2017, among other topics.
I spoke with Jim Vint, a Managing Director and the Practice Lead for the Global Legal Technology Solutions group at Navigant, an international consulting firm. We discussed the e-discovery issues with which clients are struggling, key best practices for navigating the current market for discovery, the power of analytics, and where the legal industry is headed in 2017, among other topics.
I spoke with Jessica Block, a Senior Managing Director and leader of the data governance practice at Ankura Consulting Group, a business advisory and expert services firm. We discussed the rise of cyber incidents and how data governance can influence prevention strategies in law firms and legal departments, advice for companies struggling to manage information risk, and key areas on which to focus, among other topics.
I spoke with Adam McDonell, the founder and president of Salladore, a software platform that streamlines assignment workflow and facilitates communication for attorneys at law firms and corporate legal departments. We discussed the genesis of Salladore, its primary function, the roadblocks to work allocation in law firms and corporations, ways that Salladore’s software streamlines workflow communication, and how tools like Salladore are helping organizations adapt to a changing legal environment.
I spoke with Krishna Srinivasan, a founding general partner at LiveOak Venture Partners in Austin, Texas, an early stage venture capital firm, with investments in a variety of companies, including e-discovery review software provider, DISCO. We discussed the genesis of LiveOak Venture Partners. how the firm makes investment decisions, why legal technology is currently attracting so much attention, the advantages and disadvantages of investing in legal, and investment trends in this sector for 2017.
I spoke with a panel of industry leaders in a virtual roundtable about where the legal field is headed and asked for their advice on navigating prospective 2017 challenges. The participants include: Laura Broomell, COO of Greene Espel, and president of the Association of Legal Administrators; Ray English, Assistant Dean for the Office of Career and Employment Services at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University; Jordan Furlong, principal, Law21; Tony Gomes, SVP and General Counsel, Citrix Systems; Bill Henderson, Professor of Law, Indiana University Maurer School of Law; Kate Holmes, managing director, FTI Technology; and, Joshua Rothman, partner, Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto. From cybersecurity and global policy uncertainty to changes in the selection of outside counsel and career services aligning with admissions, descriptions of a destabilizing market were tempered with a recognition of the opportunities ahead.
I spoke with David Ahrens, the chief marketing officer of FRONTEO USA, Inc., a publicly-traded global technology and services company that specializes in big data, artificial intelligence, information governance, managed review and litigation consulting for the e-discovery market. We discussed the company’s acquisition of managed review provider Essential Discovery, Inc., how the addition of EDI supports the company’s continued reinvention, why M&A so active in the legal technology community, and where the industry is headed in 2017.
I spoke with Mike Murray, the director of client solutions, at Veritext, a national provider of court reporting and deposition services. He is also responsible for Law Studio, the company’s collaborative workspace. I spoke with Mike Murray, the director of client solutions, at Veritext, a national provider of court reporting and deposition services. He is also responsible for Law Studio, the company’s collaborative workspace. We discussed the evolution of Law Studio since its launch at Legaltech New York earlier this year, how it is helping lawyers send and receive data securely, factors that differentiate it from other collaborative workspace platforms, and ways that the cloud is impacting the manner in which professionals share information, among other topics.
I spoke with Brad Blickstein, the founder of the Blickstein Group, a consulting firm that helps businesses serve corporate law departments and their law firms. He was the co-founder of Corporate Legal Times (now known as Inside Counsel) and is currently the publisher of the Annual Law Department Operations Survey. We discussed the genesis of the Blickstein Group and the Law Department Operations Survey (produced in partnership with Consilio, QuisLex, Exterro. Onit, Legal Decoder, and Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions), the issues the survey addresses, how the role of legal operations professionals has changed, and the surprising results of his research, among other topics.
I spoke with Andrew Stein, the Vice President of Business Development for Venio Systems, an e-discovery software provider. We discussed the challenges that Venio helps legal teams overcome, automating processes for small matters, the surprising evolution of the legal profession, and where the legal tech sector is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Scott Petry, the co-founder and CEO of Authentic8, the creator of Silo, a secure virtual browser. Prior to Authentic8, Scott founded Postini, an email server security company, acquired by Google in 2007. We discussed the genesis of Authentic8, the security issues associated with the typical browser, and the benefits of a virtual browser like Silo for the legal industry, among other issues.
I spoke with Lisa Solomon, the founder and CEO of Now Counsel Network, a curated network of freelance lawyers designed to help solo and small firm attorneys. We discussed the genesis of Now Counsel Network, the benefits of working with freelance lawyers, what they do, and how freelance lawyering is impacting the legal profession.
I spoke with Mary Juetten, the founder and CEO of Traklight, a software platform to identify, manage, and protect intellectual property assets, acknowledge business risks, and provide a roadmap for small and medium-sized business operations. She is also the co-founder of Evolve Law, a community to advance the adoption of technology in the legal field. We discussed the genesis of Traklight, its free business risk assessment, and how the company’s technology supports legal professionals. We also spoke about Evolve Law, its membership, and how the community is growing, among other topics.
I spoke with Jeremiah Kelman, the co-founder and president of Everchron, a collaborative litigation management software platform. We discussed the genesis of Everchron, the problem that it solves, its approach to litigation management, and how tools like Everchron are impacting the future of litigation, among other topics.
I spoke with Owen Byrd, the Chief Evangelist and General Counsel of Lex Machina, a company that provides legal analytics to enable lawyers to make data-driven decisions. We discussed how lawyers are currently using analytics to make decisions, Lex Machina’s evolution since its acquisition by LexisNexis, the connection between IP and securities analytics, the company’s new Comparator apps, and where the legal industry is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Rick Clark, the Senior Sales Director at TCDI, an e-discovery software and services company that supports law firms and corporate law departments. The company has also launched CVFox, a software as a service platform for small and mid-sized law firms. We discussed the genesis of CVFox, its focus on the small and mid-sized law firm market, and what tools like CVFox indicate about the evolution of the legal industry, among other topics.
I spoke with Brad Jenkins, the co-founder and CEO of CloudNine Discovery, a cloud-based e-discovery software provider. We discussed the genesis of CloudNine, how e-discovery has changed over the past 15 years, the trends that are driving what the company offers, its approach to security, how CloudNine differs from other companies in this sector, its portfolio of educational content, and how e-discovery is evolving.
I spoke with Brett Burney, the principal of Burney Consultants, a legal technology consulting firm focused on e-discovery, with a specialty in supporting lawyers who use Apple products. Burney is also the creator of Apps in Law, a blog that offers video reviews of apps for lawyers. We discussed the genesis of Burney Consultants and Apps in Law, the aspects of legal technology that lawyers find most challenging, the MacTrack Legal conference, where Burney is speaking about Microsoft One Note, and the trajectory of technology in the legal profession.
I spoke with Ian Campbell, the CEO of iCONECT, a multi-party document review platform. We discussed how iCONECT is evolving, the ways that users are leveraging its technology beyond eDiscovery and legal matters, where that usage is most popular, and how broader usage of legal tech is impacting the future of the profession.
I spoke with Karen Cummings, the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and Denise Meyer, the Director of Marketing Communications, respectively, for Omtool, which designs and builds document capture, fax and workflow solutions for law firms, healthcare providers, and financial institutions. We discussed how law firms are adapting to an increasingly digital environment, the factors prompting them to shift, what the future holds for law firms interested in conquering the records room, and Omtool’s participation in the ILTA Roadshow, among other topics.
I spoke with Robert Aicher, the President and CEO of CloudLaw, the maker of Zeekbeek, a national online legal marketplace. We discussed the genesis of Zeekbeek, its distinction from other sites that help lawyers market their services, what Zeekbeek offers to bar associations, and how it provides a forum for lawyers to practice in an ethically compliant fashion, among other topics.
I spoke with Bill Piwonka, the Chief Marketing Officer for Exterro, a provider of software specifically designed for legal and IT teams at Global 2000 and AmLaw 200 organizations. We discussed how lawyers are embracing project management in law firms, the results of Exterro’s 2016 Law Firm Benchmarking Report focused on law firm competitiveness, the survey’s most compelling themes, and how law firms are evolving based on the research.
I spoke with Matt Gillis, the president of Neota Logic, a software platform for developing artificial intelligence applications, which is focused on the legal and compliance industries. We discussed how in-house lawyers and legal operations professionals can improve the efficiency of how they deliver support and advice to business partners, what successful law firms of the future will look like, when legal professionals are using information effectively, and his advice for lawyers entering the profession, among other topics.
I spoke with Sandra Serkes, the President & CEO of Valora Technologies, an information governance technology provider. We discussed the emergence of auto-classification, how it helps legal professionals, the document management systems with which it can be used, and the influence of matter-centric information governance on professional practice, among other topics.
I spoke with Joseph Venturella and John Trickey, the founder and chief technology officer, and the director of business development, respectively, for Defined Discovery, a discovery management software company and the maker of the Foresight Discovery Management platform. We discussed the genesis of Defined Discovery, the inspiration for the Foresight Discovery Management platform, how it addresses the current challenges associated with e-discovery management and collaboration, and how project management tools are evolving, among other topics.
I spoke with Peter Odgaard, the CEO of Coretech, a cloud platform consultancy based in Denmark. We discussed how Coretech serves the legal community, the ways in which acceptance of the cloud has changed, its advantages, and challenges, and where cloud usage is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Seth Hallem, the co-founder and CEO of Mobile Helix, the maker of the Link secure mobile app for lawyers. We discussed the genesis of Mobile Helix, how the Link secure mobile app empowers lawyers on the go, strategies for reconciling the competing interests of a firm or law department CIO and CISO, and key best practices that CIOs should implement for mobility, among other topics.
I spoke with Christina Wojcik, the Vice President of Legal Services at Seal Software, a company that provides contracts discovery and analytics tools. We discussed the importance of contract discovery for legal teams, how to incorporate machine learning into the process, the increasing influence of artificial intelligence on the legal profession, and where the practice is headed in light of these developments, among other topics.
I spoke with Ben Weinberger, the Vice President of Solutions for Prosperoware, a provider of enterprise software focused on business intelligence and risk management for the professional services community. We discussed Prosperoware’s focus on confidentiality management, the biggest productivity and collaboration challenges that legal professionals are facing today, the new reality that law firms are facing, and where the legal industry is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Damian Jeal, the vice president of Global Sales at Nikec Solutions, a U.K. based company that helps law firms enhance their efficiency through extranet & collaboration tools, secure file sharing, and paperless office options. We discussed Nikec’s mission, how the company’s various offerings combine to provide law firms with a holistic solution to their document challenges, the likelihood of a paperless future, how U.S. law firms approach their use of technology in contrast to firms overseas, and the company’s plans for the 2016 ILTA Conference, among other topics.
I spoke with Stuart Barr, the Chief Strategy Officer for HighQ, a cloud-based enterprise collaboration and content management platform. We discussed why collaboration matters for legal professionals, collaboration best practices that legal teams can easily implement, including a reference to the company’s new e-book: SmartLaw: Expert Insights for the Future of Law, how the collaboration landscape is evolving, and HighQ’s plans for the 2016 ILTA Conference, among other topics.
I spoke with Brian Smith, the President and CEO of Caseflow, an Australian software company that helps law firms enhance their case and matter management, productivity, and operational efficiency. We discussed the genesis of Caseflow, how law firms can improve their operational efficiency, the difference between Australian and North American law firms, how its software differs from other tools on the market, and its plans for the 2016 ILTA Conference, among others.
I spoke with RJon Robins, the founder & CEO of How to Manage a Small Law Firm, an outside managing partner service for solo and small law firms nationwide, and one of the creators of the Law Firm 500, a new ranking that highlights the nation’s fastest-growing law practices. We discussed the genesis of How to Manage a Small Law Firm and the Law Firm 500, the accolade’s selection process, the type of firms under consideration, and how to apply, among other topics.
I spoke with Ralph Losey, a partner with Jackson Lewis in Orlando, Florida and an internationally-recognized thought leader in electronic discovery, who has created the Electronic Discovery Best Practices model, a lawyer-centric workflow that describes the best practices of legal counsel in this aspect of litigation. We discussed his practice, the genesis of the Electronic Discovery Best Practices model, how members of the legal community can use it, and the benefits of understanding the role of legal counsel in e-discovery, among other topics.
I spoke with James Jarvis, the vice president of product and partner management for Thomson Reuters, a multinational mass media and information corporation. We discussed the genesis of the company’s new e-discovery tool – eDiscovery Point, why Thomson Reuters decided to enter the e-discovery software market, how its new technology differs from other available products, and the reception it has received in the legal community, among other topics.
I spoke with Michael Quartararo, the Director of Litigation Support Services at New York-based Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, and the author of Project Management in Electronic Discovery: An Introduction to Core Principles of Legal Project Management and Leadership in eDiscovery. He was named the 2016 E-Discovery Person of the Year by ACEDS. We discussed his role at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, the genesis of his new book: Project Management in Electronic Discovery: An Introduction to Core Principles of Legal Project Management and Leadership in eDiscovery, the core elements of legal project management in e-discovery that are most important, and how the subject has influenced the litigation support community, among other topics.
I spoke with Paul Metselaar, the chairman, CEO, and founder of Lawyers Travel, a full-service travel management company for law firm lawyers. We discussed the genesis of Lawyers Travel, how risk management impacts travel for professionals, and how the evolution of technology is affecting the mobility of lawyers, among other topics.
I spoke with Jason Parkman, the CEO of Mitratech, an enterprise legal management software provider that helps corporate legal teams reduce their costs, collaborate, and increase their visibility. We discussed Mitratech’s acquisition of CMO Software, a provider of Environment, Health and Safety & Governance, Risk, and Compliance solutions, as well as the integration of that company into its prior acquisitions of Bridgeway Software in July 2015, CaseTrack in August 2015, and Viewabill in March 2016. Parkman highlighted the competitive advantages that joining these entities provides, the benefits that clients can realize, and his views on future consolidation in the legal industry.
I spoke with Ed Walters, the co-founder and CEO of Fastcase, a leading legal research service. We discussed the genesis of Fastcase and the evolution of legal research, advice for legal tech start-up entrepreneurs, and the integration of Loislaw into the company’s signature research tools, among other topics.
I spoke with Eric Mosca, the co-founder and director of operations for InOutsource, an information governance consulting and technology implementation services provider. We discussed the typical conflicts of interest that impact law firms most frequently, best practices for managing those issues, and how law firms can establish automated processes for new business intake, among other topics.
I spoke with David Ahrens, the chief marketing officer of FRONTEO USA, Inc., a publicly-traded global technology and services company that specializes in big data, artificial intelligence, information governance, managed review and litigation consulting for the e-discovery market. He is responsible for developing and executing an integrated marketing and communications plan, which is particularly important given FRONTEO’s rebranding to integrate UBIC North America and its subsidiaries. We discussed the rebranding, the impact it will have on the company’s business, and the key factors that distinguish FRONTEO from its competition, among other topics. In addition, FRONTEO is sponsoring and participating the Today’s General Counsel exchange on e-discovery on July 18th and 19th at the New York City Bar Association.
I spoke with Matt Kivlin, the Senior Director of Product Management at Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions, which helps law departments holistically manage technology and processes in a unique ecosystem. We discussed the benefits of leveraging a legal ecosystem for law departments, including enhanced efficiency and improved decision-making, how corporate legal teams can begin adopting this approach, and ways that the ecosystem model helps align the interests of law departments and their outside counsel, among other topics.
I spoke with Alberto Estrella and Mayra Artiles, the managing partner and associate, respectively, at Estrella LLC, a full-service law firm in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We discussed the firm’s new business immigration practice, how it leverages technology to enhance client service, the unique legal issues that companies face when doing business in Puerto Rico, and how the overall economy is influencing the evolution of legal services.
I spoke with John Jeffcock, the Chief Executive of Winmark, a U.K.-based organization that facilitates networking events and shared best practices across global companies and governments worldwide, including the Chief Legal Officer Network. We discussed the genesis of Winmark, how the Brexit vote will impact the legal industry, and findings from the latest Winmark C-Suite Report, among other topics.
I spoke with Jonathan Hoy, the Vice President of HotDocs Market, a cloud-based, e-commerce marketplace for automated legal document creation. Jonathan has focused on legal technology for over 15 years, most recently with LexisNexis and the American Bar Association. We discussed the genesis of HotDocs Market, how Hoy defines document automation, why legal professionals are using HotDocs Market, and what the rise of HotDocs Market signals about the changing nature of the legal profession, among other topics.
I spoke with Anne van der Heide, the business development manager for Bizzomate, a consulting firm based in the Netherlands that builds apps for many organizations, including professional services firms, using the Mendix software platform. We discussed the genesis of Bizzomate, its unique value proposition, the power of what it offers, and how law firms and other professional services organizations will leverage this type of technology in the future.
I spoke with Kevin Colangelo, the Vice President and Head of Strategic Accounts for Bloomberg BNA, a legal technology and content provider. We discussed how law firms are changing, what firm leaders need do to stay one step ahead of their peers, key technology that is sparking the industry’s transformation, and where the field is headed, among other topics. Colangelo recommends that law firm leaders think differently, focus on investing for the long term, and leverage technology to filter the signal from the noise.
I spoke with Roy Zur, a cyberintelligence expert, who is a retired major from the Israeli security forces, and the CEO of Cybint, an Israeli cyberintelligence company. Zur has developed cyber training programs for financial institutions, law firms, and government agencies. We discussed the genesis of Cybint, why legal professionals need to be concerned about cyber matters, what distinguishes his cyber-centric training, and four of the most common cybersecurity mistakes that law firms make, among other topics. Zur also announced an upcoming partnership with Barbri to offer his unique programming on a broader scale.
I spoke with Joe Kelly, the founder and CEO of Legal Workspace, a cloud solution that hosts a variety of software applications needed to run a law firm. We discussed the genesis of Legal Workspace, why the cloud has become so important for law firms, the key security questions law firms should ask a prospective cloud technology provider, and the company’s research associated with HIPAA compliance and law firms, among other topics.
I spoke with Joe Kelly, the founder and CEO of Legal Workspace, a cloud solution that hosts a variety of software applications needed to run a law firm. We discussed the genesis of Legal Workspace, why the cloud has become so important for law firms, the key security questions law firms should ask a prospective cloud technology provider, and the company’s research associated with HIPAA compliance and law firms, among other topics.
I spoke with Patrick DiDomenico, the Chief Knowledge Officer at Ogletree Deakins and the author of Knowledge Management for Lawyers, published by the American Bar Association and available on Amazon.com. We discussed the knowledge management challenges that lawyers face today, how law firms can benefit from stronger knowledge management, the increasing prominence of the subject, a few best practices, and what readers of Knowledge Management for Lawyers can expect, among other topics.
I spoke with Doug Ellenoff, a founding partner of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole, a 70-lawyer corporate and securities firm in Manhattan, and the chairman of iDisclose, an online automated securities disclosure application. We discussed the genesis of iDisclose, the key challenge that iDisclose helps its users overcome, how it works, and how it is disrupting the practice of law in this area, among other topics.
I spoke with J.K. Leonard, a partner with Naman Howell Smith & Lee in San Antonio, Texas and the chairman of ALFA International, a law firm network with over 10,000 attorneys in 49 states and 70 countries worldwide. We discussed ALFA International’s mission, how it differs from other law firm networks, its evolution and selection criteria, and the benefits of joining a law firm network, among other topics.
I spoke with Kathy DiLorenzo, the director of U.S. court reporting for Planet Depos, an international court reporting firm, which recently launched a new professional development initiative for students called Planet Institute. We discussed the genesis of Planet Institute, the trends influencing its creation, the application process, the goals, and where the court reporting industry is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Rob Ameerun, a legal technology consultant for law firms in the Netherlands, who is also the owner of LegalITProfessionals.com and the publisher of LegalIT Today magazine. He is producing an innovation-focused event for the legal community in the Netherlands and Continental Europe called Lexpo, which takes place on April 20th and 21st in Amsterdam. We discussed the genesis of Lexpo, the issues that the Dutch legal technology community finds most critical, the importance of innovation to the legal community in the Netherlands, and what prospective Lexpo attendees can expect.
I spoke with Harry Singh, the founder of Lawcus, a visual legal practice management software platform. We discussed the genesis of Lawcus, how it differs from other practice management solutions on the market, the key problem that Lawcus solves, and how users can take advantage of the company’s beta, among other topics.
I spoke with Michael Ramich, a partner at Frontier Capital, a venture capital firm that focuses on high growth software and services companies, including document and e-mail management cloud-provider, NetDocuments. We discussed the key factors driving investment interest in legal technology, the best time to invest in a law-related company, the challenges of doing so, and where one can find the most opportunity in the current market, among other topics.
I spoke with Bonnie Beuth and Douglas Capozzalo, the board chairman and board secretary, respectively for LTC4, a non-profit consortium of law firms, corporate legal departments, law schools, and vendors from around the world that have established industry standard core competencies for legal technology. We discussed the genesis of the Legal Technology Core Competency Certification Coalition, what makes the LTC4 core competencies unique in the marketplace, what distinguishes LTC4 from other entities offering certifications on legal technology proficiency, and the value certification offers an individual attorney in the current market, among other topics.
I spoke with Josh Harder, a Senior Associate at Bessemer Venture Partners, a venture capital firm, which has been a prominent investor in legal technology companies like Clio, Anaqua, and Disco. Given that Bessemer Venture Partners has been an investor in LinkedIn, Yelp, and Pinterest, we discussed why the legal industry has recently grown more attractive, how the legal software market is evolving, what venture capitalists look for in a legal tech investment, how legal tech start-ups should select a venture capital partner, the most difficult part of evaluating an investment in legal tech, and the next hot category, among other topics.
I spoke with Patrick Paul, a partner with Snell & Wilmer, and the chairman of the board for State Law Resources, Inc., an international law firm network that focuses on referrals associated with state capital representation, government relations practices, and lobbying. We discussed the mission of State Law Resources, how it differs from other law firm networks, its selection criteria, the location of its members, reasons that a firm should join a network, and what the increasing influence of law firm networks reflects about the changing nature of legal practice.
I spoke with Peter Zver, President of Tikit North America, a global software and IT services company and the creator of Carpe Diem, a popular timekeeping solution in the legal market, and Justin Hectus, Director of Information, at Keesal, Young & Logan, a full service business law firm with five offices around the Pacific Rim. We discussed their participation in the 12th Annual Law Firm Chief Information & Technology Officers Forum being held February 3rd and 4th, the renewed interest in law firm metrics and how firms are applying them, and key best practices for measuring relevant information, while delivering it to the appropriate audience, among other topics.
I spoke with Monica Enand, the CEO of Zapproved, a legal technology company that helps corporate counsel with the discovery process. It is the maker of Legal Hold Pro, among other tools for collection, processing, and review. We discussed the mission of Zapproved, its plans for Legaltech 2016, including the introduction of Digital Discovery Pro, the trends that are driving the development of innovative e-discovery tools, and the future of this sector, among other topics.
I spoke with Matt Duncan, CEO, and Alvin Tedjamulia, CTO, respectively, of NetDocuments, a native cloud-based document and email management service for law firms and corporate legal departments. We discussed the company’s mission, the key drivers that have been prompting firms to adopt cloud-based document and e-mail management, how the security and compliance landscape has changed the legal market, and Microsoft’s strategic partnership with NetDocuments, among other topics.
I spoke with Josh Becker, the CEO of Lex Machina, a provider of legal analytics to law firms and corporate legal departments for their business development and trial success. We discussed the mission of Lex Machina, the impact of the company’s acquisition by LexisNexis, the impact of analytics on legal practitioners, and where this area is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Brian Kenneally, the Operations Director with Ireland-based Legal IT, the maker of Bundledocs, a software tool for combining multiple types of documents into a single fully-indexed, paginated, and bookmarked PDF. We discussed the genesis of Bundledocs, the challenges it helps individuals overcome, how professionals use it, and where the market for tools of this type is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Peter Altieri, a partner with Epstein Becker & Green, in the Litigation and Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practices. He is the Managing Shareholder of the firm’s New York office and serves as chairman of the International Lawyers Network. We discussed the mission of the International Lawyers Network, how it selects member firms for inclusion, the benefits of associating with such an organization, and the factors law firm leaders should consider when evaluating a prospective network, among other topics.
I spoke with Robert Swan and Brad Burgess, the Vice President of Legal Technology and Vice President of Marketing, respectively, for IST Management Services, the maker of DocStor Legal, a cloud-based document management system for law firms and corporate legal departments. We discussed how DocStor differs from other legal industry document management systems, its integration with Microsoft Office and mobility features, and the need for security in managing documents, among other topics.
I spoke with Sandy Serkes, the co-founder, president, and CEO of Valora Technologies, a provider of document, data, and content analytics solutions for corporate, legal, and government clients worldwide, who received honorable mention at the Information Governance Initiative’s inaugural conference for the organization’s Information Governance Evangelist of the Year award. We discussed the definition of information governance, how it differs from e-discovery, the distinctions between the two types of matters, how to determine whether an outcome is successful, and how to choose an information governance solution, among other topics.
I spoke with Eric Mandel, the founder and managing member of Indicium Law, a boutique firm focused on navigating clients through the legal, technology, and process issues related to eDiscovery, cyber risk, data privacy and protection, and information governance. Eric serves on the Steering Committee for The Sedona Conference, Working Group 1, and the Board of Directors of the Legal Technology Professionals Institute. e discussed the genesis of Indicium and the community it serves, the connection between cyber risk and information governance, where U.S. privacy regulations are headed, and the impact of the Internet of Things on the legal community in 2016.
I spoke with Sue Pasfield, the Founding Director, and Janis Richman, the Director of Consulting, respectively, for Capensys, a full-service international technology training company focused on the legal industry. They are also founders of the Legal Technology Core Competencies Certification Coalition (LTC4), a non-profit group that has created industry-standard legal technology core competencies. e discussed the advantages of a goal-based approach, the key trends in training, and how the movement toward certification and audits is impacting the market, among other topics.
I spoke with Chris Stock, the CEO of LEAP US, a cloud-based practice management tool for solo practitioners and small law firms. We discussed how LEAP differs from the other law office management solutions on the market, its cloud technology, how attorneys are using mobile practice management tools, and the trajectory of the practice management software sector headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Karl Harris, the Vice President of Products for Lex Machina, a software-as-a-service provider of data analytics for patent and trademark litigation data, recently acquired by LexisNexis, where he leads all product management, development, and strategy. We discussed Lex Machina’s custom insight apps designed to help lawyers leverage information to win cases and close business, how they integrate with Lex Machina’s legal analytics platform, the tools it is launching, and where the sector is headed in 2016, among other topics.
I spoke with John Gilbert, Senior Vice President of nQueue, a cost recovery, document scanning, and routing solutions provider. We discussed ways that law firm’s are approaching cost recovery in the current market, the likelihood of a paperless future, the importance of uniform scanning, and where the sector is headed, among other topics.
I spoke with Eric Wangler, President of BigHand North America, a software development company specializing in delivering speech, task delegation, document creation and process improvement solutions. We discussed the release of BigHand Now, the evolution of workflow management, how organizations are using it to increase efficiency and build accountability, the key considerations for choosing a solution for managing workflow, and the future of the sector (particularly given the collaboration between BigHand and Integreon), among other topics.
I spoke with Shelley Brown, an attorney and the Director of Managed Review Services at RVM, a full-service e-discovery provider. We discussed the impact of managed review, the characteristics of a successful contract attorney, the effect of artificial intelligence on e-discovery, and the advantages of near-shore vs. off-shore litigation support, among other topics.
I spoke with Jason Smith, the Senior Director and Legal Counsel at Apttus, a software company that facilitates deal flow in various industries. He focuses on contract lifecycle management. We discussed how the interest in contract lifecycle management has evolved over the past few years, the results of the General Counsel’s Technology Report, and the key trends that are likely to influence the legal market in 2016.
I spoke with Jeena Cho, a San Francisco bankruptcy attorney with JC Law Group, and the co-author of the upcoming book, The Anxious Lawyer: An 8-Week Guide to a Happier, Saner Law Practice Using Meditation (American Bar Association, March 7, 2016). Jeena is also the host of the Resilient Lawyer podcast. We discussed how she balances her law practice and consulting, her inspiration for writing The Anxious Lawyer, what readers expect to take away from it, whether lawyers struggle with achieving happiness, and meditation best practices, among other interesting topics.
I spoke with Jeff Kerr, the founder of CaseFleet, a comprehensive practice management solution. We discussed the genesis of CaseFleet, how it differs from other available options, the influence of e-discovery on its development, and why technological competence has become so important for modern lawyers, among other topics.
I spoke with Bobby Balachandran, the founder, President & CEO of Exterro, a leading provider of workflow-driven end-to-end e-discovery software solutions for corporate legal departments. We discussed Exterro’s mission, the genesis of E-Discovery Day taking place on December 1st, and where e-discovery is headed in 2016 and beyond.
I spoke with Doug Luftman, the new Chief Innovation Officer and General Counsel for Lecorpio, a provider of intellectual property management and analytics software solutions. We discussed his new role and the evolution of his career, the need for aligning strategy, innovation, and legal, and how lawyers can reinvent their careers in-house, among other topics.
I spoke with Dr. Rick Kabra, the CEO of CosmoLex, a cloud-based law practice management software tool that integrates time tracking, billing, and legal accounting into a single application. We discussed the connection between accounting, compliance, and ethics, the practice areas that benefit most from practice management software, and where the market is headed.
I spoke with Daniel Lewis, the CEO and co-founder of Ravel Law, a legal research, analytics, and visualization company. Forbes named Lewis to its 2015 list of 30 under 30 in Law & Policy. We discussed the genesis of Ravel Law, the impact of data analytics and visualization on legal decision-making, and the future of legal practice, among other topics.
I spoke with Mike Murray, the director of client solutions at Veritext Legal Solutions, a national provider of court reporting and deposition services. He is also responsible for the company’s new litigation collaborative workspace called LawStudio. We discussed the genesis of LawStudio, how small- and mid-sized law firms are using it, the trends that are driving the use of an application like LawStudio, and how client and litigation demands have fueled the need for collaboration, among other topics.
I spoke with Andy Wilson, the founder and CEO of Logikcull, an all-in-one discovery automation platform. We discussed the genesis of Logikcull, the rising interest in discovery automation, the importance of the checklist approach to a consistent workflow, and the prospective end to electronic discovery, among other topics.
I spoke with Rick Rattray, the senior vice president and general manager for BarBri Professional Associations, an organization that trains attorneys, litigation support staff and financial services professionals. BarBri also provides certifications in e-discovery and financial crimes. We discussed the mission of BarBri’s professional associations division, the benefits of certification, the requirements, and key trends in legal education, among other topics.
I spoke with Shelley Whitehead, the founder and CEO of LegalBee, a network of freelance attorneys that provides temporary legal services for solo practitioners and small law firms. We discussed the genesis of LegalBee, the rise of freelance attorneys, how a freelance network can enhance how solo practitioners and small law firms service their clients, and the future of this sector, among other issues.
I spoke with Reid Schroder, an account executive with Siteimprove, a company that provides web governance solutions for organizations of all sizes around the world. We discussed how Siteimprove helps law Firms, why it is important to have a website free of errors like broken links, misspellings and SEO deficiencies, the impact of content marketing and blogging on the need to monitor professional websites, and key legal industry trends, among other topics.
I spoke with Nehal Madhani, the founder and CEO of Alt Legal, a cloud-based software tool to prepare and manage global IP filings. He will be presenting at the Clio Cloud Conference on the role of APIs and how Clio can be leveraged as a platform from the perspective of an attorney and a programmer. We discussed the genesis and evolution of Alt Legal, its influence in the legal market, the competitive landscape for tools of this type, and key predictions, among other topics. In addition, given his experience as a former attorney with a big firm who left the practice to start a software company after teaching himself to code, he shared some advice for lawyers interested in striking out on their own beyond the practice of law.
I spoke with Phi Tran, the Director of Communications and Client Development with Xact Data Discovery, an international discovery and data management company that supports law firms, corporations and government agencies. A former practicing commercial litigator, she helps clients implement best practices and defensible cost-effective solutions to their e-discovery challenges. She will be speaking at Relativity Fest this week and we discussed the characteristics that distinguish Xact in the marketplace, trends driving the growth of e-discovery, how clients choose between domestic and offshore review, the importance of Xact’s multi-tenant deployment of Relativity, and its new data center in Texas, among other topics.
I spoke with Charlie Lee, the Founder & CEO of LeGuard, a live interactive legal fee tracking system, He is also the author of Churn That Bill Baby: The Solution to Controlling Excessive Legal Billing. We discussed the genesis of LeGuard, how it works, the target audience, and what the introduction of a tool like LeGuard signifies about the evolution of the legal profession.
I spoke with Victor Medina, the founder of the Medina Law Group, a New Jersey-based estate planning firm, and the creator of MILOfest, a national attorney-tech conference solely for those using Macs in their law offices. We discussed Medina’s practice and the genesis of MILOfest, the level of Mac usage in the legal field, the rising popularity of MILOfest, and the type of programming that can attendees expect during the event taking place November 12th through the 14th, among other topics.
I spoke with Mary Mack, the new executive director for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists. With more than a decade in the e-discovery field, Mack is a frequent commentator on industry issues as well as the author of A Process of Illumination: The Practical Guide to Electronic Discovery and the co-editor of the Thomson Reuters treatise, eDiscovery for Corporate Counsel. We discussed her new role at ACEDS, the importance of certification for e-discovery professionals, key trends in training, and the organization’s 6th Annual E-Discovery Conference.
I spoke with Stephanie Giammarco, a partner at BDO Consulting, as well as the national practice leader for forensic technology services. We discussed BDO’s approach to e-discovery, how leveraging data analytics differs from filtering data, the ROI of data analytics and visualization, the impact of globalization on e-discovery analytics, and best practices for organizations interested in managing their data more proactively.
I spoke with Bob Gogel, the CEO of Integreon, a leading legal process outsourcing firm serving both global law firms and corporations. Prior to joining Integreon in 2011, he was the CEO of Enrich, an employee benefits consultancy, and has held positions on the executive boards of AXA Group and Siemens Business Services GmbH. We discussed why legal processing outsourcing has become so attractive to law firms and corporations, Integreon’s new global delivery center in Austin, offshoring and onshoring preferences, and data security best practices.
I spoke with Todd Miller, the CEO of gwabbit, a leading ERM and data optimization solution. Miller is also the founder of WebFeat, the former CEO of Knight Ridder’s SourceOne subsidiary, and the owner of four information technology patents. We discussed the genesis of gwabbit, the problem it solves in the marketplace, how firms in the AmLaw 100 and 200 are using it, and the company’s plans for the 2015 ILTA conference, among other topics.
I spoke with Doug Horton, the president and CEO of Handshake Software, a provider of SharePoint-based products and services to the legal market. We discussed how Handshake Software is helping law firms streamline their use of SharePoint with its Jumpstart portal for rapid deployment, its Expertise Locator, and key integrations with LexisNexis and Neudesic, among others. Horton also highlighted how Handshake Software supports Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint Online, and what the company is planning for the 2015 ILTA conference.
I spoke with Jeffrey Roach, president of Encoretech, a learning & development organization delivering technology training to the legal and corporate communities. We discussed Encoretech’s Training-as-a-Service initiative (a finalist for ILTA’s Innovative Solution Provider of the Year award), innovative ways that law firms are providing technology training and gauging proficiency, the trajectory of the trend of issuing technology certifications and assessments to help law firms support their technical skills, and the company’s plans for the upcoming ILTA conference, among other topics.
I spoke with Chris Bright, the vice president of marketing for Zapproved, a provider of software used to help corporations manage litigation responses. The company is hosting its PREX15 conference on preservation excellence in September for in-house legal teams and we discussed the genesis of the event, what attendees can expect, its stellar line-up of speakers, and the latest trends affecting e-discovery and preservation, among other topics. (Use the prex200 discount code at registration and save $200.)
I spoke with Jim Buckley, the Senior Practice Director at RGP Legal, a legal services consulting organization that provides advisory services to law firms and corporate legal departments. We discussed how organizations define legal operations, how it provides the greatest impact to those who want a greater level of transparency and accountability, why the role of a director of legal operations is becoming more prominent, and best practices for how companies are incorporating legal operations, among other topics.
I spoke with Diogo Fonseca e Silva and Cristóvão Silva, the Hotel Manager and Customer Experience Manager, respectively, for the Grand Real Villa Italia Hotel & Spa in Cascais, Portugal. We discussed the elements of a unique vacation, what people want in a resort, why one might want to choose Portugal, and how technology has changed the vacation experience, among other topics.
I spoke with David Freeman, the CEO of the David Freeman Consulting Group and founder of the Law Firm CultureShift® process. He is a best-selling author who has written four books on law firm leadership and business development, including his upcoming book – Creating a Cross-Serving Culture Shift: Mastering Cross-Selling for Lawyers and Leaders. We discussed how the economic realities of running a law firm are fueling interest in cross-selling, ways to shift your culture to support cross-selling opportunities, how to overcome key challenges, and how to get started. He shares of few of the 13 accelerators that can help firms thrive in the current market, including getting and acting on client feedback, as well as creating trusted relationships within the firm.
I spoke with Tom Lambotte, the CEO of GlobalMacIT, which he notes is the only company in the world that specializes in providing IT support to Mac-based law firms. Tom is also the author of Hassle Free Mac IT Support for Law Firms. We discussed the genesis of GlobalMacIT, the growth in the Mac-based law firm market (which he estimated at about 4,500 members), why so many law firms using Macs in a profession that has historically been PC driven, the perceived challenges associated with switching, and the benefits of outsourcing IT support, among other topics.
I spoke with Keith Conley, the president of DTI Legal Solutions. He is a member of DTI’s executive team and leads the company’s discovery operations. He highlighted the key challenges that clients are facing in the current market, which include growing litigation portfolios, increasing data volumes, and general cost containment challenges.
I spoke with Kevin Chern, an attorney and the Managing Partner of UpRight Law, a national virtual consumer bankruptcy and consumer protection law firm. We discussed the genesis of UpRight Law, how technology has enabled its growth, what the rise of firms like UpRight Law signify about the traditional legal market, and how the regulatory environment impacts new law firm models, among other topics.
I spoke with Ian Zack, an attorney and the Director of Business Development at CaseRails, a software company that provides a web-based document automation platform for attorneys. We discussed the advantages of document automation for attorneys and law firms, the associated challenges, how variations in billing arrangements impact an attorney’s reliance on new technology, and best practices for incorporating document automation into your work.
I spoke with Deborah Baron, the chief strategy officer of Align Matters, a cloud-based software platform that helps in-house lawyers tie the management of their matters to client business objectives. She has also served as the CEO North America and CMO of Nuix, as well as the vice president for legal and compliance solutions at HP Autonomy. We discussed her role at Align Matters, the value of leveraging a proverbial GPS for legal management tool, how technology can help lawyers become better business leaders, how Align Matters helps law departments build efficiency with benchmarks and repeatable processes, and the future of holistic cloud-based matter management.
I spoke with Deborah Epstein Henry, an internationally recognized expert, consultant and public speaker on the future of the legal profession, new legal models, women in the law, and work/life balance. She is the author of LAW & REORDER: Legal Industry Solutions for Restructure, Retention, Promotion & Work/Life Balance (ABA, 2010) and co-author of FINDING BLISS: Innovative Legal Models for Happy Clients & Happy Lawyers (ABA, 2015). She is also the co-founder and managing director of Bliss Lawyers, a firm that employs high-caliber lawyers to work on engagements for in-house legal department and law firm clients. We discussed her new book, examples of innovation in both new and traditional legal models, and best practices for measuring value and harnessing talent, among other topics.
I spoke with Annie Webber, the co-founder and CEO of Legal Hero, a platform that delivers legal services to businesses on a fixed price basis. Prior to founding Legal Hero, she worked as an M&A attorney at Ropes & Gray in Boston. We discussed the genesis of Legal Hero and how it works. Webber highlighted that as individuals become more comfortable with distributed labor models like Uber and clients continue to demand fixed prices on limited budgets, there are opportunities for ventures like Legal Hero, which reinvents the traditional legal services model and automates invoicing or document creation to empower many businesses.
I spoke with Ian Campbell and Iram Arras, the founder and CEO, and Vice President of Product Strategy, respectively, for iCONECT, a multi-party document review platform. Legaltech News recently named iCONECT-XERA a finalist for Best E-Discovery Review Platform. We discussed the rise of glanceable dashboards in document review, the evolution of predictive technology, the integration of corporate branding to create a more seamless discovery experience, and where the market is headed.
I spoke with Tim Cheadle, the founder and CEO of MatterMojo, a cloud-based client and matter management system for small and mid-sized law firms. Prior to founding the company, he was the General Manager of the LexisNexis UK & International Enterprise Solutions business. We discussed his background and the genesis of MatterMojo, the significance of the name, the company’s extensive partnership with Microsoft, and the future of cloud-based client and matter management.
I spoke with Willy Leichter, the Global Director of Cloud Security at CipherCloud, a technology company that delivers cloud information protection and enables users to navigate risks to data privacy, residency, security, and regulatory compliance. We discussed the impact of cloud information protection on the legal industry, the problems it solves for legal professionals, the shadow IT trend, and the advantages of implementing proven encryption and data loss prevention techniques. Leichter also identified a few of the biggest threats facing law firms today and prospective changes to privacy laws over the next five years.
I spoke with Monica Zent, the Founder and CEO of Foxwordy, a private social network for lawyers, and the founder of ZentLaw, an alternative law firm. We discussed the genesis of Foxwordy, which she launched in the spring of 2015, how it differs from other social networks, the use case for a legal industry specific portal, and the future of law practice.
I spoke with Kris Canaday, the founder of Integrative Legal Support, a paralegal support company providing litigation, corporate, and intellectual property services to attorneys, law firms, and legal departments throughout the U.S. She is also the author of Paralegal Support 101, a knowledge base for attorneys on the paralegal profession. We discussed the genesis of Integrative Legal Support, why attorneys and firms need a paralegal support service, her advice to attorneys and firms looking for non-traditional support, and the future of this sector, among other topics.
I spoke with Dr. Gavin Manes, the founder and CEO of Avansic, a firm that provides the legal, business, and government sectors with e-discovery, digital forensics, data preservation, and online review services. We discussed the genesis of Avansic, the biggest challenges that litigants are facing in 2015, the need to normalize vocabulary in discovery, and key legal trends to watch.
I spoke with Eric Hunter, the Director of Knowledge, Innovation & Technology Strategies at Bradford & Barthel, a California law firm. He is also the Executive Director of Spherical Models, a consultancy that focuses on spherical business models through innovations in big data, strategic pricing, predictive analytics, and social media. The Ark Group recently released his new book: “The Sherlock Syndrome, Strategic Success through Big Data and the Darwinian Disruption.” We discussed his inspiration for writing the book, its target audience, and the convergence of creativity and business models.
I spoke with Paul Mandell, the founder & CEO of Consero, an international events company that targets C-level executives at Fortune 1000 companies. We discussed the genesis of Consero, how the company’s events differ from traditional conferences with its invitation-only approach, and the types of programs it offers, including those for general counsel, CFO’s, and procurement leaders, among others.
I spoke with Dima Bobev, the co-founder of Forexus, an eDiscovery, IT Forensics and Data Analytics services company based in Switzerland. Bobev started his career at a Big Four accounting firm, where he managed large cross-border eDiscovery projects and was responsible for the development of the Swiss Analytics & Forensic Technology team. We discussed the genesis of Forexus, how Swiss data privacy rules are affecting eDiscovery, its presence at the Corporate Counsel and Compliance Exchange Conference, and the growth trajectory of international eDiscovery, among other topics.
I spoke with Alok Gupta, founder and managing director of Pyramid Cyber Security & Forensics, a provider of e-discovery, forensics, and cybersecurity services. We discussed the growing relationship between e-discovery, forensics, and cybersecurity, the global nature of litigation support, and the ways that companies are more efficiently and cost-effectively approaching these issues.
I spoke with Trevor Campion, the CEO of Inventus, a discovery management practice that supports global law firms and Fortune 1000 companies. We discussed the genesis of Inventus, its recent acquisition of London-based Unified OS Ltd., a similar discovery management practice, the new company’s impact on the global market, and the evolution of eDiscovery, among other topics.
I spoke with Brett Burney, the founder of Burney Consultants and the chair of the 2015 ABA Techshow planning board. We discussed how the nine-member planning board operates, and what this year’s attendees can expect, from educational sessions in seven concurrent tracks on going paperless and data security, among others, to dynamic networking and an inaugural App-a-Thon. He noted the potential for more than 1,300 lawyers, judges, paralegals, and law students to be walking the halls with 800-1,000 vendors and exhibitors.
I spoke with Stacey Coote, the CEO of Yerra Solutions, Ltd., the U.K. subsidiary of Yerra Solutions, AG, a Swiss consulting, managed services, and products company, which helps legal and IP departments with strategy, operations, and technology. We discussed his background and the mission of Yerra Solutions, as well the launch of the Legal Procurement Network, which it recently launched. Coote noted the benefits of membership to corporate legal teams worldwide and his vision for its evolution.
I spoke with Mark Torchiana the co-founder and CEO of Courtroom Insight, a litigation and knowledge management technology company. In addition to developing Courtroom Insight, he has over fifteen years of experience working as a testifying expert witness in the field of forensic accounting. We discussed the genesis of Courtroom Insight, the benefits of the application, its recent partnership with the Daubert Tracker, and the future of tools that enable greater transparency related to judges and expert witnesses.
I spoke with Paul Domnick, the president of Litéra, a software company focused on risk management and productivity enhancement tools. Prior to joining Litéra, Paul was the global CIO of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. We discussed how organizations can balance risk management and productivity tools, cloud and mobile challenges clients are facing, and the reasons that professionals struggle to operate within a more security-centric environment, among other topics.
I spoke with Jeff Fehrman, the chief strategy officer for Mindseye, a technology company focused on improving discovery. He is responsible for helping to design and launch Mindseye’s appliance and mobile offerings, as well as establishing key technology partnerships. We discussed how organizations are leveraging visual patterns and data prioritization to discover documents more efficiently, the benefits of scalability and robust reporting, and the adoption implications of artificial intelligence and the cloud, among other topics.
I spoke with Matt Tait, an attorney and the director of sales and marketing for Case Pacer, a cloud-based case management software platform designed specifically for plaintiff’s attorneys in personal injury, disability, and worker’s compensation, among other areas. We discussed how consumers can identify a truly cloud-based technology platform, Case Pacer’s primary consumers, strategies for selecting a practice management application, and the evolution of these tools, among other topics.
I spoke with Michael Dalewitz, the founder and CEO of Inspired Review, a New York City-based document review provider. We discussed the genesis of Inspired Review, how companies can distinguish between document review providers, techniques for balancing quality and cost, questions to ask when purchasing document review services, and the variety of available pricing models, among other topics.
I spoke with Graham Smith-Bernal, the founder and CEO of Opus 2 International, a litigation technology and services company. He also created LiveNote, which Thomson Reuters acquired in 2006. We discussed the genesis of Opus2 and its flagship product, Magnum, which earned the company the 2014 ILTA Innovative Solution Provider of the Year award, and the future of online collaborative workspaces, among other topics. Smith-Bernal noted that 80-90 percent of all major litigation in London leverages Opus2’s Magnum and with offices in London, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Paris, and Dubai, lawyers around the world are applying collaboration to a host of distinct legal systems.
I spoke with Bill O’Brien, the chief operating officer at Brainloop, a cloud-based document management, storage, and collaboration software company. We discussed Brainloop’s technology, with a specific focus on how it helps clients ensure compliance with ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the ramifications of not adhering to ITAR, and his predictions for the future of cybersecurity in the legal industry.
I spoke with Marty Smith, a founding director of MetaJure, an automated document management system. He is also the co-founder of Attenex, one of the first document review platforms that incorporated visualization, and a member of the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services. We discussed the genesis of MetaJure, what makes it unique, how it integrates with existing document management systems, and the future of automated document management.
I spoke with Michael Tal, an attorney, who served for several years in the corporate and M&A departments of both Skadden, Arps and White & Case LLP, and the co-founder and co-CEO of BusyLamp, a provider of enterprise legal management solutions with offices in Frankfurt, Germany and New York City. We discussed the genesis of BusyLamp and its mission of bringing transparency into the billing cycle, the distinctions between how European and American companies manage their legal spend, and the impact of client influence on billing relationships, among others.
I spoke with Adam Licht, the Director of Business Development for the legal division at Intralinks, a secure collaboration technology platform supporting clients in various industries, including legal. We discussed how IntraLinks is solving key challenges that law firms and corporate law departments are facing, the company’s unique approach, the shifting emphasis on risk and compliance, and the future of secure collaboration, among other topics.
I spoke with Paige Hunt Wojcik, the vice president of business development and managed services for Discovia, a provider of e-discovery services for corporations and law firms. We discussed the evolution of managed services, its increasing popularity, essential criteria for selecting a managed services provider (e.g., technology, security, experience, etc), and the impact of the model on reducing overall legal spend, among other topics.
I spoke with AJ Shankar, the founder and CEO of Everlaw, a cloud-based review platform for e-discovery. We discussed the genesis of Everlaw, which he says is “as fast as Google and as easy to use as an Apple product,” its popularity with law firms handling complex litigation and class actions, and the impact of design and usability on e-discovery software, among other topics.
I spoke with Brian Powers, an attorney and the creator of PactSafe, a new cloud-based application launching today that allows companies and their lawyers to manage, track, deploy and enforce online legal agreements. We discussed the genesis of PactSafe, the benefits of managing online legal agreements in the cloud, including a reduction in legal spend, and the pitfalls of operating without such a tool.
I spoke with Jacob Morse, the vice president of marketing and product strategy at Brainspace, a machine learning platform focusing on e-discovery and knowledge management. We discussed the company’s approach to concept search, its philosophy on machine learning, the advantages of leveraging this technology, and the challenges associated with convincing lawyers to use it, among other topics.
I spoke with Craig Carpenter, the president and chief operating officer at Resolution1 Security, a software provider that enables continuous automated incident resolution for data breaches through real-time insight and analysis, as well as threat intelligence integration. He joined AccessData as Chief Marketing Officer in 2013 and assumed his current role in November of 2014 when the company divided its businesses. We discussed the genesis of Resolution1 Security, the industry challenges it is seeking to address, key mobility implications following high-profile data breaches, and technology trends for 2015, among other issues.
I spoke with Sarah Clark Kavanagh, the founder of Quatrove, a SaaS solution that helps manage team workflow and intelligence for a variety of organizations, including law firms worldwide. We discussed her interest in helping organizations make data-driven decisions, how the tool has been received in the marketplace, and how a product like Quatrove reflects the dynamic changes occurring in the legal community, among other topics.
I spoke with George Burgess, the founder and CEO of education app developer, Gojimo. He started the company when he was 17 and I plan to feature his inspiring perspective in the 2nd Edition of The Opportunity Maker, which will be out later this year. In the video below, he shares some networking tips and advice for those interested in creating something new in 2015. “Get out there and do it…there is nothing holding you back,” he says. “You’ll learn more from actually trying it than waiting and suggesting to yourself that you will do it later on in life, which never really happens.”
I spoke with Mark Noel the Managing Director of Professional Services for Catalyst, a provider of litigation support software and services. Before joining Catalyst, Mark co-founded an e-discovery software start-up and was an intellectual property litigator with Latham & Watkins in Washington, DC. We discussed the evolution of technology-assisted review, how to properly define it, why continuous active learning and contextual diversity sampling are critical, and uses of this application beyond document review.
I spoke with Joe Borstein, the global director of the law firm division at Pangea3, a legal process outsourcer. Borstein is also the co-author of the bimonthly alt.legal column for Above The Law. We discussed his role at Pangea3, a Thomson Reuters business, and the growing popularity of alternative managed legal solutions, which the company’s extensive network of full-time attorneys provides to a range of firms, from small offices to the AmLaw 100, and many of the Fortune 1000.
I spoke with Frederick Gyebi-Ababio, the founder and director of the LawTech Europe Congress, a conference and exhibition that has been hosted in Prague, Czech Republic for the past three years. We discussed the event and its genesis, the key trends in legal technology (including e-discovery, cyber forensics, big data, and privacy), and his vision for the event in 2015 (including a possible move from Prague to Dubai or Berlin), among others.
I spoke with Lawrence Cunningham, a leading authority on corporate governance and culture, professor of corporate law at GW Law School (my alma mater), and the author of many business books, including his newest: Berkshire Beyond Buffett: The Enduring Value of Values. We discussed the genesis of the book, professor Cunningham’s research strategy, and the key elements of Berkshire Hathaway’s culture that stand out, including integrity, its commitment to entrepreneurship, and its long-term view of success, among many others. Professor Cunningham is in the middle of a national tour, where he is being joined by Berkshire Hathaway executives and investors from across the country.
I spoke with Phil Homburger, the president and CEO of Synaptec Software, the maker of LawBase, a leading case and matter management solution. We discussed the genesis of LawBase and the evolution of the legal profession since its founding 35 years ago. Homburger remarked on the shift from word processes and PCs to networks and the cloud. He also addressed how legal teams can navigate the divide between applications that focus on a single challenge and those that provide an all-in-one solution given the ‘consumerization’ of technology.
I spoke with Richard Spies, the president and CEO of Lucid IQ, the maker of CaseManagerPro, which is a case and matter management system used by law firms and corporate legal departments nationwide. We discussed the genesis of CaseManagerPro, how firms and corporate law departments are systematizing their approach to complex matters, and the need for readily available information to increase performance.
I spoke with Sandy Serkes, the co-founder, president, and CEO of Valora Technologies, a provider of document, data, and content analytics solutions for corporate, legal, and government clients worldwide. We discussed the genesis of Valora, why data mining has become such a hot topic, the art of “gene sequencing” a document to find key hidden details, and cost-efficient techniques for locating information. “Not knowing what data you are holding is a liability,” said Serkes.
I spoke with Rajitha Boer, the founder and director of Yerra Solutions, a professional services company supporting European and Asian corporate law departments. Boer is also the producer of the Yerra Conference, which is taking place in London on October 15th and 16th. We discussed the challenges that in-house counsel and administrative leaders are facing, key strategies for addressing them, and techniques for leveraging technology to enhance visibility and transparency within a global organization.
I spoke with Jerome Raguin, the founder & director of UK-based Lex Connect, a solutions directory for in-house law departments worldwide. We discussed the genesis of Lex Connect, how vendors and in-house counsel are using it, and the key European legal trends on which he will be focusing at the 2014 Yerra Conference in London on October 13, 2014.
I spoke with Jason Parkman, the CEO of Mitratech, an enterprise legal management software provider that helps corporate legal teams reduce their costs, collaborate, and increase their visibility. He noted that “We are in the middle of a shift in how legal departments see themselves,” and we discussed the top three best practices they should implement today to position themselves for success in the future. They include: Recognizing that technology is a force multiplier. Becoming a data-driven organization. Focusing on continuous improvement. “What worked in the past isn’t good enough going forward; new technology needs to be highly configurable and flexible, as well as easy to use,” he said.
I spoke with Dominick Esposito, a co-founder and the executive director of eLaw, a leading docketing and calendaring software tool. He is a frequent guest speaker on computers and the law for the New York and New Jersey Trial Lawyers Associations. We discussed the evolution of eLaw, the increasing usage of digital tools for case management, and the rise of electronic docketing, among other topics.
I spoke with Matthew Whalley, the head of legal risk consultancy at Berwin Leighton Paisner in London, who spent six years as part of the legal operations team at HSBC. We discussed the challenges in-house counsel face in identifying, quantifying, and reporting the business risks that arise from law and regulation, the potential consequences of failing to properly manage that legal risk, and the value of using a custom toolkit to help organizations calculate and mitigate the inherent uncertainty in their operations. Whalley will be presenting a case study – Lessons for In-house Counsel: How to Quantify and Report Legal Risk – at the 2014 Yerra Solutions Annual Conference: Connecting the Dots Between Strategy, Operations and Technology on October 15, 2014.
I spoke with Steven Toole, the vice president of marketing for Content Analyst Company, a text analytics software developer with a strong presence in the legal community. Given Toole’s focus on pipeline development, sales enablement, thought leadership, and brand equity, we discussed the evolution of analytics software, the parallels between the U.S. intelligence community and the legal technology sector, the benefits of gaining rapid insight into big content, and how professionals beyond e-discovery are using these applications.
I spoke with Michael Chasin, the co-founder of Lexicata, a new cloud-based application that automates the client intake process. We discussed the genesis of the new site, built to help solo and small firm practitioners to manage their leads and intake, how it works, and its upcoming launch in late September.
I spoke with Ian Campbell, the president of iCONECT Development, the maker of the XERA® hosted review platform. He is responsible for sales, business development, product lifecycle development, and legal service provider and partner relations. We discussed the company’s history and the evolution of eDiscovery, the need for litigation support tools to look and feel like familiar technology platforms, and key trends that he will be discussing at the upcoming Ingenious East Coast eDiscovery and Information Governance Retreat, including healthcare metrics, OLED screens, and the personal cloud, among other topics. Campbell predicts that visualization and a movement toward “glanceable information” will impact eDiscovery in 2015.
I spoke with Bruce Berman, the founder of Brody Berman Associates, a management consulting and communications firm that supports intellectual property rights holders and service providers, who is also the author of five books, including The Intangible Investor – Profiting from Intellectual Property: Companies’ Most Elusive Assets (CloseUp Media, 2014). We discussed the state of intellectual asset management, what makes intangible investors relevant today, the valuation of intangible assets, and the changing nature of innovation.
I spoke with Peter Zver, the president of British Telecom subsidiary Tikit North America, a provider of technology solutions and services to law and accounting firms around the world. We discussed the importance of timekeeping in improving client relations, growing revenue, and enhancing productivity. Zver also addressed the trends associated with passive timekeeping, the velocity of time capture, and next-generation time entry. He highlighted the forces that are shifting the landscape in this area, such as mobile technologies, alternative fee arrangements, and the need for e-billing transparency.
I spoke with Dean Morrison, a national business development manager with Summit Funding Group, an independent equipment leasing company focused on supporting legal technology initiatives at small and mid-sized law firms. We discussed how financing for law firms differs from other industries, how the need for financing is evolving given the move toward cloud computing, and the most common mistakes that law firms make when financing their technology.
I spoke with Jim Merrifield, the Director of Information Governance for FileTrail, a records and information management solutions company. He is also the co-founder of the Information Governance Conference, which will have its inaugural event in September. We discussed his role at FileTrail, the genesis of the Information Governance Conference, the inherent challenges associated with producing industry events, and advice for those interested in applying information governance in their organizations. Merrifield suggested that legal teams identify quick IG wins using live metrics, maintain a plan B, and avoid reading too much into best practices.
I spoke with BJ Schaknowski, the Vice President of Sales and Professional Services at LexisNexis, where he is responsible for all sales and consulting for software solutions sold to law firms and corporate legal departments. We discussed the company’s sponsorship of the 2014 Raleigh Ironman 70.3 in June, the lessons that professionals can learn from triathlon, and how the event connects with the core values that LexisNexis promotes. Schaknowski noted that endurance races reflect various elements for success, including a passion for living; a commitment to hard work; thoughtful planning; and, a focus on positive outcomes, among other ideals.
I spoke with Doug Horton, the President and CEO of Handshake Software, a leading provider of SharePoint products and services in the legal community. We discussed Handshake’s mission, the impact of its recent acquisition of the Thomson Reuters OneView portal, the impact of SharePoint 2013 on the legal community, and his views on the SharePoint as a DMS debate, among other topics.
I spoke with Larry Port, the founder and CEO of RocketMatter, a total law firm management system in the cloud. We discussed the company’s evolution, its newest Pon Farr release, the value of evergreen retainers in the battle for collections, the need to focus on software performance improvements over feature enhancements, and the future of cloud-based law firm management.
I spoke with Kingsley Martin, the founder of KMStandards, a provider of contract standards and contract analysis tools. We discussed the genesis of KMStandards, how corporate counsel are embracing knowledge management for drafting agreements, ways that lawyers can overcome the efficiency paradox, and the future trajectory of contract analysis standards.
I spoke with Barclay Blair, the president and founder of ViaLumina, a consulting firm that advises Fortune 500 companies, software and hardware vendors, and government institutions, on information governance, who is also the Executive Director and co-founder of the Information Governance Initiative. We discussed why information governance has become such a critical concern in the legal community, key tips for managing information more effectively, the conflict between big data and e-discovery, and the future of the industry.
I spoke with Gadi Aharoni, the CEO of ARX, a global provider of digital signature solutions. We discussed the mission of ARX, the key differences between electronic and digital signatures, how they relate to productivity and information governance, and critical trends that are transforming the field.
I spoke with Jeffrey Roach, the president of Encoretech, a technology training firm focused on the legal industry. We discussed the company’s mission, the advantages of technological proficiency for legal professionals, his team’s unique approach to training, and the benefits of outsourcing these efforts.
I spoke with Ruth Carter, the founder of the Carter Law Firm in Phoenix. Carter is a 2012 ABA Legal Rebel and is the author of two ABA best sellers: Flash Mob Law: The Legal Side of Planning and Participating in Pillow Fights, No Pants Rides, and Other Shenanigans and the newly-released The Legal Side of Blogging: How Not to get Sued, Fired, Arrested or Killed. We discussed the genesis of her new book – The Legal Side of Blogging for Lawyers – and how bloggers can avoid crossing the line. She shared best practices for how she uses her popular blog, ways to avoid the biggest legal mistake bloggers make, examples of how the ethical rules can be helpful, and creative ideas for selecting content.
I spoke with Kevin Harris, a project manager for Orion Law Management Systems, a financial and practice management software provider. Harris consults with law firms about infrastructure, business practices, staff and attorney design, utilization, productivity, and collections, among other areas. We discussed how law firm preferences have changed over the past few years and key trends that are emerging in the legal technology market, among other topics.
I spoke with Chere Estrin, the president & co-founding member of the Organization of Legal Professionals, which recently launched a new certification exam focused on litigation support. We discussed the need for litigation support certification, the psychometrics used to design the test and associated prep course, and the range of topics the exam covers.
I spoke with Jason R. Baron, of counsel in the Information Governance and eDiscovery Group at Drinker Biddle & Reath in Washington, D.C. Jason served as the director of litigation for 13 years at the National Archives and Records Administration. We discussed a panel he is moderating at a seminar that UBIC is hosting about Conducting Legal Business in Japan and the Rest of Asia called Information Governance as a Global Priority: Some Thoughts Based on Recent U.S E-Discovery Case Law & Practice. Baron explained why information governance is such a popular topic in the legal profession, how Big Data is elevating information governance into a global concern, and key policy practices that can help organizations manage the convergence between information governance and electronic discovery.
I spoke with Mark Britton, the founder and CEO of Avvo, which he describes as “the largest legal marketplace directory and Q&A forum on the web,” about the company’s recently completed $37.5 million round of financing, as well as its upcoming Lawyernomics conference. We discussed Avvo’s plans for expansion, the keys to its success, and why the legal industry is attracting so much interest from investors. In addition, Britton provides key highlights of Lawyernomics, including descriptions of its marquee speakers Peter Shankman (who will be delivering the keynote address) and Above the Law’s David Lat, among others.
I spoke to David Horrigan, an analyst and counsel at 451 Research, a New York-based global analyst research firm. David covers law and technology, has served as a staff reporter and assistant editor at The National Law Journal, and is a contributing writer at Law Technology News. We discussed a panel he is moderating at a seminar that UBIC is hosting about Conducting Legal Business in Japan and the Rest of Asia called Law, Technology, and Asia: What Lawyers and Their Clients Need to Know. He described how attendees will benefit from the different perspectives, the challenges that litigants face conducting e-discovery in Asia, and the distinctions between e-discovery in Asia and the U.S.
I spoke with Dan Kalish, a partner with HKM Employment Attorneys, which has just launched One Hour Employment Lawyer, a new service that allows prospective clients to book live consultations focused on employment matters for a $299 flat fee.
I spoke with Dr. Rick Kabra, the CEO of CosmoLex, a cloud-based law practice management software tool that integrates time tracking, billing, and trust accounting into a single application. We discussed the recent release of CosmoLex for the cloud and the general advantages of cloud-based technology for solo and small firm lawyers, including mobility, technology management, and information security. Kabra highlighted the need to select tools that enhance productivity and profitability by allowing attorneys to focus more time on practicing law and generating business, rather than the administrative aspects of operating a firm.
I spoke with Mark Lassiter, a real estate attorney with the Lassiter Law Firm in Tempe, Arizona, who is also the founder of Lex Projex, a legal project management consultancy, and is now creating a closed legal community to enable attorneys in virtual law firms to provide collaborative services. We discussed his efforts to ‘re-engineer’ the practice of law and the delivery of legal services, the obstacles to promoting this transformation, and skills that legal professionals need to thrive in this new era.
I spoke with Eric Mandel and Chuck Ragan, National E-Discovery Counsel and Special Counsel, respectively for Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP about the group’s mission, the rising importance of discovery counsel at law firms, helping clients balance valuing their data with gauging the risks that it presents. We also discussed key trends related to information governance, data security, and privacy.
I spoke with Dave Kinsey, the President of Total Networks, an IT services company based in Phoenix, which serves as either the outsourced IT department or as a strategic partner to the in-house team for small to medium professional services firms in Arizona, with an emphasis on the legal industry. We discussed the genesis of Total Networks, key technology trends (including cloud computing and managed services), and the impact that privacy and compliance will have on the legal industry in 2014. Kinsey also identified the three leading IT risks that law firms are likely to face this year: (1) back-up challenges; (2) data retention; and, (3) information security.
I spoke with Rajitha Boer, the Founder & Director of Yerra Solutions, a Basel, Switzerland-based boutique consulting firm for global law departments. We discussed the genesis of Yerra, the transparency challenges that corporate legal departments are facing, and Yerra’s inaugural in-house counsel conference in London called: “Empowering General Counsel to Lead and Succeed,” which featured speakers from AIG, Nestlé, Barclays, and various large international law firms. She highlighted how global law departments can enhance their efficiency in the current market and how they can unify stakeholders across the legal team in 2014.
I spoke with Jeff Guttman, the Director of Managed Review Operations for TechLaw Solutions, a full-scope e-discovery and managed review solutions provider. We discussed the changing nature of data, the importance of workflow processes, and the philosophical differences challenging predictive coding adoption. Guttman also addressed how legal teams can reconcile cost certainty and predictability with spend management and the need for reduction.
I spoke with Gary LeClair, the co-founder and Chairman of LeClairRyan, an AmLaw 200 firm with 22 offices nationwide; David Freinberg, the firm’s CEO; and, Dan Reed, the CEO of UnitedLex, a global legal services company, which focuses on litigation, contract management, and intellectual property. We discussed the recent collaboration between UnitedLex and LeClairRyan to create the firm’s new Legal Solutions Center, which represents a unique effort to acquire resources on what LeClair describes as “a just in need basis, rather than a just in case basis.” The initial focus of this new endeavor is e-discovery, but the firm’s management expects it to eventually expand to intellectual property, immigration, and transactional matters.
I spoke with Doug Caddell, the new chief information officer for kCura, the maker of Relativity, a web-based platform for the processing, review, analysis, and production of electronic data. Prior to joining kCura, Caddell served as the firmwide CIO at Foley & Lardner based in Chicago. We discussed his new position, the distinction between his role in a corporation vs. a law firm, kCura’s new Relativity Binders iPad app, and what the rise of influential CIOs means for the future of legal technology development.
I spoke with Owen Burns, a senior consultant in legal technologies for Control Risks, a political, integrity, and security risks consultancy specializing in hostile and complex markets. Prior to joining Control Risks, he was a managing partner with Ricoh Americas Corporation. We discussed the company’s eTrium technology application, as well as its focus on corporate investigations, global consulting, managing integrity risk, and due diligence. Burns also addressed the advantages of being familiar with each local international market on the impact of a converging legal technology, risk, and data protection environment.
I spoke with Dave Deppe, the president of UnitedLex, a global legal services company, which focuses on litigation, contract management, and intellectual property. Prior to joining UnitedLex, he was a founding partner of Focus Legal Solutions, an electronic discovery boutique, which Mutual of Omaha acquired in December of 2008. We discussed the release of Questio, the company’s new consultant-led technology platform, how it differs from predictive coding, its development cycle, and what it reveals about the evolution of client interaction with digital tools.
I spoke with Gary Kinder, a lawyer and the New York Times bestselling author of Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea: The History and Discovery of the World’s Richest Shipwreck. Kinder is the founder and creator of WordRake, an editing software program that he reports is being used by thousands of law firms, universities, and organizations to help individuals write clearly and concisely. We discussed the genesis of WordRake, which he highlighted is “designed to get rid of words that convey no meaning.” He suggests that writers delete phrases like “in this case” and “the terms of the contract.” In addition, look for the words in or of and reduce words around them that force readers to slow down. In a legal market that values efficiency, writers need to make their points faster. Since everyone needs an editor, Kinder created WordRake to fill that void. He offers a variety of writing tips on his blog – WritetothePoint.com – and WordRake offers a 3-day free trial.
I spoke with Albert Buckwalter, the Director of Litigation Support for the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC, and the editor-in-chief of Litigation Support Today, a magazine for litigation support professionals that has been published since 2007. We discussed the genesis of Litigation Support Today and Paralegal Today magazines, as well as the types of article ideas in which the editors are most interested. Buckwalter also shared his perspective on the evolution of the litigation support sector, legal technology trends, and the 2014 International Litigation Support Leaders conference, among other topics.
I spoke with Leah Beckham and Beth Thompson, the CEO and Director of Business Development, respectively, for BillBLAST, a cloud-based application that helps law firms manage their e-billing and related reporting. Beckham discussed how her tenure as COO for McAngus, Goudelock & Courie for 15 years helped shape her view on law firm efficiency and her mission to help law firms manage the ever-growing client demand for e-billing. With over two decades in legal technology, Thompson echoed that view of streamlining complex and labor-intensive tasks while accelerating the payment cycle with user-friendly dashboards and metrics that enhance business intelligence.
I spoke with Brian Albert, the founder and developer of TheLaw.tv, which is both a legal news and information website for consumers, as well as a producer of online videos for lawyers. TheLaw.tv has purportedly shot and distributed more than 100,000 videos over the last four years. By way of background, Albert is a lawyer and a broadcast journalist, who has interviewed Barack Obama, Alan Dershowitz, and Eric Schmidt, among many others. We discussed the genesis of TheLaw.tv and how video transforms the experience of those who visit websites of providers of professional services. He advised that online video creates trust, showcases legal aptitude, and improves conversion rates. It also helps lawyers convey knowledge, compassion, and personality.
I spoke with Vincent Bell, the former Director of Administration for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s New York office, who recently founded the Upstream Consulting Group to provide financial and operational support for law firms nationwide. We discussed the genesis and mission of Upstream Consulting, how the legal field has changed over the past three decades, and the evolving role of legal administrators, among other topics. Bell offers ideas for optimizing billing and collection, strategies for implementing operational modifications, and key advice for managing partners.
I spoke with Jordan Furlong, an Ottawa-based lawyer, writer, and legal industry analyst, who is a partner with Edge International Consulting. Jordan is also the author of Evolutionary Road: A Strategic Guide to Your Law Firm’s Future, an e-book published by Attorney at Work. We discussed his background and the focus of his work at Edge, as well as what inspired him to write Evolutionary Road. He shared his thoughts on the distinction between sustaining innovation vs. disruptive technology, and the impact of each on the legal market. “Disruptive technology will open new doors for us,” he predicts. Furlong cautions that “This is not a period of incremental adjustment; it is a period of significant change.” He suggests that law firm leaders engage in two exercises to help their management teams consider key steps to take to accelerate their progress: Imagine that you are starting a law firm from scratch – how would you design it knowing that you have none of the constraints of the traditional paradigm? If your largest competitor or rival hired you away from your firm with the mission of destroying your former employer, what steps would you take? He concludes that “Firms must recognize that the way in which they have done business in the past is not the way they will do business n the future.”
I spoke with Warren Kruse, the vice president of data forensics for Altep, a nationwide provider of electronic discovery consulting and services. We discussed what lessons legal professionals and learn during the remainder of 2012, including those associated with internal investigations and regulatory inquiries, as well as key long-term changes on the horizon. Ultimately, Kruse echoed the boy scout motto: “Be Prepared,” with respect to migration to the cloud and proactively addressing legal technology shifts as they arise.
I spoke with James Mendelssohn, the Chairman of MSI Global Alliance, a worldwide association of mid-sized independent law and accounting firms and the founder of Firm Management Associates, a U.K.-based consultancy focusing on the professional services sector. We discussed the release of his new book Life After Boris (SRA Books, 2013), which he describes as “an enchanting, quick-to-read fable about succession issues in a rabbit warren following the death of the leader.” Mendelssohn explained why succession planning is such a key issue in professional firms and why so many firms fail to address it. He also offered some best practices for firms of all sizes, including: (1) strip out the pride and emotion from the succession planning process; (2) start planning early since you cannot successfully navigate it under time pressure; (3) create a five-year plan; (4) incorporate a broad range of feedback; and, (5) engage a third party to help navigate the details.
I spoke with Mike Maslanka, an employment law partner and head of the Dallas office for Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP, who recently published a great article in the Texas Lawyer called: Seven Mindsets of Effective General Counsel. In it, he highlights that “How lawyers think determines how we act. So, to be truly effective, the wise general counsel does not seek answers but rather seeks useful mindsets.” Those mindsets include: (1) All news is good news (“Because then you know where you stand.”); (2) Pick the hill you want to die on (“Make a stand where it matters, not on a useless cul-de-sac.”); (3) ABR: Always be re-framing (“Lawyers can’t change the facts, but we can change the story.”); (4) Fight the fight, not the plan. (“Never get stuck on the original plan, and always deal with what is occurring now, in real time.”); (5) A GC is not a conscience for hire (“A general counsel is not a mouthpiece but a voice of reason.”); (6) Generate options, lots of them (“General counsel can’t direct C-level executives to take actions. They only can guide them by producing options; and, (7) Ask: “Am I adding value?” (“Adding value is not a ‘No, you can’t do XYZ.’ It’s not even a ‘Yes, but’ mindset. It’s one of ‘Yes, and.'”) Ultimately, Maslanka, the creator of the Mike Maslanka @ Your Desk YouTube video series for the Texas Bar (which you can watch here), concludes: “Mindsets progress from aspiration to belief to action. Develop yours, and enjoy the journey.”
I spoke with Tim Corcoran, the principal of Corcoran Consulting Group, which is focused on helping law firms, law departments and legal service providers profit in a time of great change. He is the author of Corcoran’s Law Biz blog and is the president-elect of the international board of directors of the Legal Marketing Association. As chairman of the 2013 InnovAction Awards, which recognize the innovative efforts of members of the legal community through the College of Law Practice Management, we discussed the background of the accolade and criteria for selection, among other topics. Corcoran noted that “the definition of innovation is changing,” and as a result, he expects to see a variety of entries this year. He highlighted certain changes to this year’s evaluation process, cited the qualities of past winners, and offered helpful advice for prospective nominees.
I spoke with Larry Barela, the Chief Technology Officer for Catalyst Repository Systems, the developer of Insight, a cloud-based e-discovery platform. We discussed how Insight differs from other available tools, including the advantages of a single dynamic XML back-end, the benefits of cloud-based software, addressing security concerns, and his predictions for the continued operation of e-discovery functions in the cloud.
I spoke with Garth Landers, the Director of Product Marketing at EMC, a global information management provider, who is responsible for the company’s pervasive governance portfolio. We discussed the evolution of information governance, its trajectory, and key trends that are impacting that direction. He noted that organizations are increasingly focused on litigation readiness, realizing a measurable return on their e-discovery investments, and drafting practical data policies. The key challenges are aligning the various custodians of the organization’s most important information and bridging the disconnect between legal and IT. He highlighted that many companies lack the ecosystem for optimal information governance because ownership and accountability are often muddled.
I spoke with Michael do Rozario and Brian Borskjaer, Special Counsel and Director of the firm’s Legal Technology Solutions team, respectively, at Corrs Chambers Westgarth, a prominent Australian law firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. We discussed Casefolio, the firm’s new award-winning document review app, its development, and the user experience, among many other topics. When it received the Lawtech Award For Innovation in Legal IT at the 7th Annual Chilli IQ Lawtech Summit & Awards in 2012, one judge noted: “This iPad app is simply clever, innovative and delivers a truly ingenious and effective solution to the vexed litigation practitioner.” Casefolio is available for free trial download in the US, UK, Canadian, and Australian iTunes stores. Corrshas also developed a converter that allows documents and metadata to be exported and imported from a range of litigation support databases, including Ringtail, Relativity, and Summation.
I spoke with Dr. Jim Hassett, the founder of LegalBizDev, which helps law firms increase client satisfaction and profitability by improving project management and business development. Dr. Hassett is the author of 11 books, including his most recent: Legal Project Management, Pricing, and Alternative Fee Arrangements(Amazon Digital Services, Inc., 2013). He highlighted that large and mid-sized law firms are dealing with three key pricing concerns: How to price high enough to make an acceptable profit, but low enough to get the work [aka Suicide Pricing]. When are alternative fees the best arrangement for the client and the firm? How to manage the profit once the work commences. Dr. Hassett suggested that although robust legal project management is helping professionals address these concerns, few firms are making meaningful progress. “There is a gap between what people are saying for PR and what is really going on,” he advises, predicting a drop in overall pricing, a rise in alternative fees, and improved project management. His advice for lawyers interested in gaining a competitive advantage in a changing marketplace: Don’t over-analyze; just do it. Take chances and be more like an entrepreneur.
I spoke with Samantha Williams, the Director of Employer Relations at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, where she focuses primarily on small firm outreach and employer development. Williams is the co-author (with Linda Calvert Hanson) of Small Firms, Big Opportunity(LawyerAvenue Press, 2012), which provides readers with practical steps to identify where jobs are, how to get hired, and how to succeed in the new legal economy. Williams shared tips on why law students and recent graduates should be focusing on smaller firms as potential employers, the best resources for those seeking employment with small firms, and the single most important concept to be aware of when looking for job opportunities with small firms.
I spoke with Larry Port, the founder and CEO of Rocketmatter, a cloud-based legal practice management and time and billing software product, about Rocket X1, the company’s new Internet marketing agency and hosting platform. We discussed the company’s mission to combine public relations, website design, search engine optimization, and marketing. Port noted that by building accountability in marketing, leveraging analytics, and structuring a creative message, users will realize unprecedented results.
I spoke with Peter Mercer, the founder and managing director of Vound, an Australia-based software development company focusing on forensics and e-discovery, which is the maker or Intella, the company’s signature tool for processing, searching, and analyzing electronically stored information. We discussed the growth in user-created data, the trend of law enforcement technologies being adapted to e-discovery, and the increased focus on productivity, which Mercer noted is driving the adoption of this technology. He predicts that the rise in cloud adoption and the interest in reviewing data more simply will help to transform the forensic and e-discovery industry in 2013.
I spoke with Eddie Sheehy, the CEO of Nuix to discuss Proof Finder, a unique venture by the company to offer its e-discovery and investigation software to users at $100 per year (limited to a maximum case size of 15 gigabytes), with 100% of the proceeds from all sales given to Room to Read, a global non-profit organization focused on literacy and gender equality in education.
I spoke with Desiree Moore, an attorney and the founder of Greenhorn Legal & Greenhorn Bold. Moore is also the author of Thrive – A New Lawyer’s Guide to Law Firm Practice (American Bar Association, 2012). We discussed her venture providing what she describes as “the foundational information law students and lawyers need,” her motivation for writing Thrive, and the launch of her on-demand practical skills training series, which focuses on professionalism, time management, communication, networking, and marketing, among other core competencies.
I spoke with Eric Hunter, the Director of Knowledge, Innovation & Technology Strategies at California-based Bradford & Barthel, as well as the Executive Director of Spherical Models, a business model innovation consultancy. We discussed his firm’s transformation to a completely Google Apps environment and his team’s efforts to create a social media-like atmosphere the leveraged internal champions to motivate this shift by 100 lawyers and over 250 users. He recommends developing a clear workflow and to give users time to adapt. Hunter also discussed how his success at Bradford & Barthel fueled the creation of Spherical Models.
I spoke with Matt Homann and JoAnna Forshee, producers of the annual LexThink.1 legal innovation conference, which is being held in Chicago on Wednesday, April 3rd on the eve of the ABA Techshow. Homann is the well-known founder of LexThink, a legal innovation consultancy, as well as the creator of the popular [non] billable hour blog. Forshee is the CEO of InsideLegal, which she describes as “the insider’s guide to doing business in legal technology.” Homann noted that LexThink.1 started 4 years ago as Ignite Law. Participants have 6 minutes (as in one-tenth of an hour of billable time) and 20 slides, which rotate every 18 seconds, to convey their ideas on this year’s theme – disruption. Prior sessions focused on the future of law, the future of legal tech, and client service. (I had the privilege of participating in the inaugural event in 2010, with a session called: What I Learned About the Future of Legal Marketing From Playing Wii Bowling With a 4 1/2-year old.) Ten speakers selected by “more than one thousand votes cast” online will cover a variety of topics ranging from Big Data or Big Brother (Eric Hunter) and Don’t Do What You’re Good At (Jay Shepherd) to Knowing the Unknowns (Roe Frazer) and LegalZoom is Eating Legal’s Lunch (Mark Britton). The only participant, who has appeared in all four productions is Will Hornsby, who will be discussing Gaming the System: Are lawyers ready to game-up? Forshee notes that speakers typically rate the difficulty of the experience at about an eight on a ten-point scale and Homann suggests that in addition to practice, participants should focus on their transitions to get comfortable telling a story in equal segments. Those interested in following the sessions on Twitter can search for the Hashtag: #lexthink.
I spoke with Roe Frazer, the founder of Cicayda, a Nashville-based software company providing cloud-based e-discovery tools; Case Logistix, now owned by Thomson Reuters; and, Digome, a digital marketing firm. Frazer noted that the name of his new venture, Cicayda, comes from the quest to find a rare blue-eyed cicayda and compared it to a legal team’s search for documents in the era of big data. Calling it “Angry Birds for e-discovery,” he highlighted that Cicayda offers an app-like look and feel for all of the company’s offerings. Frazer’s goal is to make software that lawyers can use while bringing “transparent pricing and price sanity” to the marketplace through a pay-per-use model. He considers this new offering “iteration 0.0” because he expects that customers will drive future development through social media channels.
I spoke with David Netzer, the founder of the legal industry job site, LitigationSupportCareers.com, where companies, including law firms, litigation support providers, e-discovery vendors, and government agencies, among others, advertise open positions for the legal vertical. It also offers a searchable resume database, as well as resources for career development. We discussed the genesis of LitigationSupportCareers.com (created in 2008), how it is distinct from other “niche” job boards, the costs of use, and its potential for reinventing the executive recruiting field. Netzer advised that in addition to expanding its robust resume database, LitigationSupportCareers.com is developing partnerships with other job sites, adding multi-lingual features, and launching on different human resources platforms and applicant tracking systems.
I spoke with Cynthia Nerland, the Business Development & Communications Manager at Dye & Durham Corporation, a British Columbia-based legal support services firm, about her expectations for the Canadian legal market in 2013. Among other developments, Nerland predicts a rise in the number of international mergers. She cited the 2012 combinations of Canada’s Fasken Martineau and Johannesburg-based Bell Dewar, as well as SNR Denton, Salans LLP and Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP effort to form Dentons, as evidence of this trend. She advised that to prepare for these changes, legal support services providers need to be mobile and leverage multiple platforms. Nerland also expects more lawyers to blog and engage in social media to raise their profiles in the recovery.
I spoke with Naritomo Ikeue and Sunil Mudunuri, President & COO and Senior Manager of Marketing & Business Development, respectively, for UBIC North America, Inc., the maker of Lit i View, an e-discovery tool that evaluates English and Asian-language characters, encoding schemes, and native file systems. We discussed the global landscape for electronic discovery and multi-lingual predictive coding, among other topics.
I spoke with Bill Young, the product line and legal operations executive for Bridgeway Software, a legal solutions provider focused on process technology support. We discussed key trends and ways that organizations can prepare to address them. Young sees a growing alignment between the legal department and disparate business divisions. He also expects a movement towards mobility and initiatives focused on sharing the right information with the appropriate executives.
I spoke with Rich Turner, the vice president of business development and strategic marketing for C2C Systems, an e-mail archiving and information management software company. We discussed the most significant e-mail archiving trends, the information management challenges companies will be facing this year, how they can address them, and his predictions for the next 12 months. He noted that while there is still no one-size-fits-all solution, many processes are being virtualized.
I spoke with Jon Resnick, the managing director and head of global sales for Huron Legal, about key operational issues that law departments and law firms will need to address in 2013. Resnick noted that globalization is a growing concern as businesses become more internationally integrated. He also predicted that increased governmental scrutiny and information management challenges will prompt organizations to centralize responsibility for these concerns with the chief compliance officer. Finally, Resnick expects the emergence of more robust enterprise-wide technology solutions, including matter management, e-discovery, and data recovery, among others.
I spoke with Doug Stewart, the vice president of technology and innovation for Daegis, a full-service e-discovery company. We discussed his expectations for Legal Tech New York 2013, where the legal industry is moving, and how it is maturing. He predicted the emergence of quality standards, the release of diverse new e-discovery tools, and a continued focus on cost control.
I spoke with Warwick Sharp, the Vice President of marketing and business development for Equivio, about being a predictive coding and analytics pioneer, and where that technology is headed in 2013. “The market’s relationship with predictive coding has evolved,” he said noting that concerns over defensibility have been dispelled over the last year. In fact, Sharp highlighted that users are less focused on defensibility and more interested in predictive coding education than ever before. “We see a massive catch up among professionals in the industry,” Sharp added. He predicts that the judiciary will take a more discerning approach to predictive coding and begin defining the appropriate processes, as well as project management techniques.
I spoke with Allison Walton, the e-discovery counsel for Symantec, the maker of Enterprise Vault, Clearwell, and other data loss prevention solutions. We discussed trends for 2013 and her expectations for Legal Tech New York. Walton predicts the emergence of a new level of information strategist that helps corporations understand how they are managing information. She also noted that defensible deletion will be a key focus because organizations are developing data control strategies. Walton and her team will be discussing “E-discovery in 3-D,” among other topics at Legal Tech New York.
I spoke with Mike Barry, the senior vice president of research and development for Aderant, one of the largest software providers in the legal industry. We discussed key challenges that he expects clients to face in 2013, including lingering pressure from the financial crisis, increasing interest in alternative fees, and the disruptive force of innovative technology. Barry predicts a rise in the use of time capture tools, business intelligence programs, mobility products, and legal project management leading to a cultural revolution in law firms.
I spoke with Steve Ashbacher, vice president of Concordance, which is part of the Litigation Solutions team at LexisNexis. We discussed the focus of the litigation solutions team this year, the issues that are driving these changes, and how his group is addressing them. Ashbacher noted those who understand data volumes and build better infrastructure will most effectively address the complexity, cost, and risk challenges of 2013.
I spoke with Megan Miller, the vice president of marketing for GGO, a legal services provider and the developer of Digital WarRoom about 2013 trends and ways that professionals can address them. She noted, among other items, that law firms want to enhance the quality of the counsel they are providing to their clients and are increasingly leveraging technology to build efficiency. This effort gives law firms and corporate counsel more control while aligning their interests.
I spoke with Sanjay Manocha, the Director of Discovery Analytics and Review for RVM, a provider of end-to-end legal technology consulting services. We discussed analytics and other key trends, the challenges that legal teams are likely to face in 2013, and his predictions for the use of predictive coding by practicing attorneys over the next twelve months. He noted that “This will be an exciting period for practitioners” and expects service providers to harmonize around key best practices.
I spoke with Deborah Baron, the vice president of legal and compliance solutions for Autonomy Inc., an HP Company, about cost containment and the evolution of e-discovery, which she described as “an old game with new rules.” She noted that law firms are smarter than ever and predicted the emergence of an IT sharpshooter because the volume, variety, and velocity of information is changing dramatically.
I spoke with Dave Terry, co-founder and chief operating officer for Chrome River Technologies, a provider of SAAS expense reporting and invoice automation solutions. We discussed the impact of the new tax laws on expense controls, as well as his predictions for 2013. He expects to see greater risk management and expanded use of mobile technology, among other developments.
I spoke with Dale Drury, founder of AlphaLit, a litigation support company with a long history in discovery document management. We discussed key challenges that clients are likely to face over the next 12 months and best practices they can use to overcome these hurdles. Drury noted that provider costs will continue to be a key issue and that fundamental practices like developing a privilege log will retain their importance. Despite all of the discussion about new tools and their impact on the legal industry, he predicts: “I can’t imagine pushing more technology into this industry.”
I spoke with Mark Herrmann, the Vice President, Chief Counsel – Litigation, and Global Chief Compliance Officer for Aon, about his fourth book, Inside Straight: Advice About Lawyering, In-House and Out, That Only the Internet Could Provide (ABA Publishing, 2012), which is a compilation of his columns for AbovetheLaw.com about life as an in-house lawyer. He balances his often-humorous guidance with selected comments from readers of his work. “Some of the things people write are unbelievably funny; some are strikingly smart … and collectively the commenters know an awful lot of stuff,” he said. The book highlights techniques for developing business, succeeding in the law, and navigating corporate politics, among other topics. He is also the author of the highly-acclaimed, The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law by Mark Herrmann (ABA Publishing, 2006), which itself started as a series of articles. In fact, he noted: “In some ways, Inside Straight is a sequel to the Curmudgeon’s Guide.” Herrmann is also the co-author of Drug and Device Product Liability Litigation Strategy (Oxford University Press, 2011) and Statewide Coordinated Proceedings: State Court Analogues to the Federal MDL Process (Thomson-West, 2004). Since introducing his first column for Above The Law in November of 2010, he has been writing about his interactions with outside counsel, experiences collaborating with AON’s management, and the perils of modern communication, as well as other issues. In our interview, Herrmann discusses his passion for writing articles, which he started doing as a third-year associate, and provides advice for professionals interested in getting published, including: “Write [at least] one article per year. To crank out one [article] a year is just not that hard.” “As a lawyer, at a firm, maintaining a high public profile is worth things to you … and having all of your lawyers writing while raising the collective profile is good for the firm.” “Lots of people realize that writing matters; everybody doesn’t realize it, but lots of people do.” Ultimately, “I don’t like writing. I like having written,” he concluded.
I spoke with Ron Collins, the President and founder of Toronto-based Gavel & Gown Software, the developers of the popular practice management tool Amicus Attorney, about the company’s recent release of Amicus Cloud. We discussed Gavel & Gown’s motivation to introduce a cloud offering, how it differs from the desktop version, its unique features, and customer reactions, among other topics. Listen to Collins share his views on the adoption rate of cloud-based products in 2013.
I spoke with Brendan Ludwick and Claudio Dunkelman, the founders of LawZam, a free online video conference service which connects lawyers and consumers. Learn more about their service and listen to our interview during which we discuss the genesis of the company, what makes it unique, and how it facilitates more seamless communication.
I spoke with Alison Monahan, the founder of The Girl’s Guide to Law School, and the co-founder of the Bar Exam Toolbox and the Law School Toolbox. We discussed the genesis of the Girl’s Guide, advice on law school exam preparation, and ways that law students can balance academics with health and wellness, among other topics.
I spoke with Doug Stewart, Vice President of Technology and Innovation at Daegis, a provider of eDiscovery solutions, which has just updated its eDiscovery Platform with Acumen, its Technology Assisted Review tool. We discussed the genesis of Acumen, the adoption rate of similar tools, the challenges, and its impact on the big data trend.
I spoke with John Simpson, founder & CEO of One North Interactive, which recently announced the acquisition of the web assets of Thomson Reuters’ Hubbard One, about the mission of One North Interactive, the evolution of law firm websites, interactive marketing trends, and how social media is reinventing how lawyers and their firms connect with audiences.
I spoke with George Leloudis, the Executive Director of Woods Rogers PLC in Roanoke Virginia, who is also chairman of the event’s planning committee. We discussed, among other topics: (1) who should attend and why; (2) how the programming reflects the current state of the market; and, (3) key recommendations for maximizing the value of attendance.
I spoke with David Schnurman, the president and CEO of Lawline.com, a leading provider of online continuing legal education that is transforming the way professionals educate themselves on the web. In a discussion about the company’s new Lawline 2.0 initiative, which is making the site’s entire archive of over a thousand hours of programming free, Schnurman notes that “Lawline’s mission has always been to change the way people learn and since we are transitioning from a service-based economy to a knowledge-based economy, we are helping our audience make that change more seamlessly.” In addition to providing CLE accreditation services in 43 states (including for this course), Lawline.com also offers CFP programs for those in financial services, and CPE courses for those in accounting, among other fields. A self-described “lifelong learner,” Schnurman wanted to give others the opportunity to actively engage with technology to enhance the learning experience. Lawline 2.0 allows viewers to take “smart” notes that automatically form reference-like outlines, record five-minute course summaries for future use, and dynamically share their newly acquired expertise.
I spoke with Kevin O’Keefe, the founder of LexBlog, one of the largest and most successful platforms for blogging and social media in the legal industry, at Avvo‘s recent Avvocating conference in Seattle. We discussed the evolution of how professionals are raising their profiles, techniques for leveraging technology to build a reputation, and proven methods for enhancing relationships. Among many other great points, he noted that “Content is not the most important thing; listening is the most important thing.”
I spoke with Dan Toombs, the founder of Grow Your Firm, an Australian web marketing company that assists professional services firms with enhancing their digital presence. We discussed the state of the Australian market and the benefits of leveraging Vizibility, among other topics.
I spoke with Mark Britton, the founder and CEO of Avvo. We discussed the genesis of the 2012 Avvocating conference and what attendees can expect.
I spoke with Todd Moster, the director of recruitment & placement for Moster Legal Placement in Beverly Hills, about his new book, The Underground Guide to Job Interviewing (CreateSpace, 2011), which he describes as “entertaining and funny as a teaching device to keep the reader’s attention.” He notes that “there is no silver bullet; the main rule is preparation in job interviews.” His tips include: Think about whether you want to make a job move and if it is appropriate. Find out as much information as possible about the position, e.g., day-to-day responsibilities, what happened to the last person in the role, and the reporting structure, among other elements. Practice articulating highlights of your experience in a way that should be clear to the interviewer. Think about questions to ask; not having questions could be fatal. That is a one-way ticket down the elevator shaft without an elevator. Know the questions you should not ask, including what the position pays or the amount of training involved.
I spoke with Charlie Gollow, an investment manager with IMF Australia, a publicly traded Australian company that finances legal claims in excess of AUD $5 million, which recently launched a wholly-owned subsidiary, Bentham Capital, in New York City to fund large-scale cases in the U.S. We discussed IMF, its goals for 2012, the state of the litigation funding market, and the advantages/disadvantages of enlisting a financial partner of this type.
I spoke today with Robert Hilson, the editorial director for the Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists, which is hosting its 2012 Annual Conference next week (April 2-4) at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Florida. We discussed the organization’s growth, its impact on the legal community, and his expectations for the upcoming event.
I spoke with Simon Truskett, a Sydney-based senior partner at Clayton Utz in the firm’s Corporate Advisory / M&A group, who is the new chair of Lex Mundi, a global association of independent law firms, with 160 member firms in 102 countries. The association features a client advisory council in which leading in-house counsel advise on ways to improve client service. Members also exchange information on practice management, administrative support, and technology usage. In terms of trends, he noted Lex Mundi’s interest in broadening its reach in Africa and Asia because of increased competition from international firms and a more globalized client base that expects its professionals to provide services where they are.
I spoke with Jim Hammond, the Vice President for Global Marketing at Aderant about the company’s recent acquisitions and the cohesion of its various brands. He noted that the new company has a wider footprint in legal, financial, and practice management systems with Client Profiles, is fully integrating Compulaw for seamless integration, and has a larger market share with CRM for business development used by firms all around the world. He described it as “one company with multiple products” that is focusing on providing high value to its clients.
I spoke with Tim Sparks, the CEO of CLM Matrix about contract lifecycle management. He noted that the company’s Matrix software solutions are uniquely designed for Microsoft SharePoint, automatically draft contracts in Word, and dynamically create an essential workflow.
I spoke with Eric Elfman, the CEO of Onit at Legal Tech NY 2012. We discussed the company’s business process and productivity apps designed to solve very specific problems, including contract review and approval, ethics violation tracking, and whistleblower reporting.
I spoke with David Netzer, the President of LitigationSupportCareers.com, which he describes as “an alternative to Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com,” at Legal Tech NY 2012. In a continuing trend of leveraging the web to pursue local opportunities, Netzer created LitigationSupportCareers.com to provide a portal for the industry to specifically advertise legal technology and litigation support positions. He notes that it builds efficiency by increasing the number of qualified applicants while reducing the number of resumes that employers ultimately need to evaluate. Job seekers can also proactively search for positions by location, category, and employer type.
I spoke with Bob Krantz, the CEO of Mindseye Solutions about the company’s technology and its impact on the discovery process.
I spoke with Ken Adams, an ABA Legal Rebel, the author of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting (ABA 2d ed. 2008), and the founder of Koncision, discussing his 2012 alliance with global contracts powerhouse, Business Integrity, makers of ContractExpress.com.
I spoke with Samantha Miller, the director of product management for website services at LexisNexis, who discussed Client Center’s 2012 Software & Industry Information Association (SIIA) CODiE Award for Best Legal Solution.
I spoke with George Tziahanas, the senior vice president for legal and compliance solutions at Autonomy. We discussed the rise of meaning-based coding, the convergence of Stratify and Introspect, and the changing landscape for information governance.
I spoke with Steve Harber, the President and co-founder of DiscoverReady, a leading provider of e-discovery services. Steve and I have been discussing fixed-fee document review services and innovations in automated review for a few years. He shared his views on how the market has changed, as well as key trends for 2012 and beyond.
I spoke with Paul Unger of Affinity Consulting Group about reinvention in law practice management. He discusses the impact of cloud computing, online learning, and how the use of technology in the courtroom is “breathing new life into what [lawyers] do.”
I spoke with Paul Harris, founder of AllAboutLaw and AllAboutCareers, to talk about how he and his team are making career advice more accessible to students across the globe. We discussed why he founded AllAboutLaw in September of 2008 and its growth to about 25,000 members, who regularly access a wealth of information about law schools, courses, internships, jobs, and firms in the UK.
I spoke with Tony Williams, the founder of Jomati Consultants and the former managing partner for Clifford Chance, for Reinventing Professional Services and during my visit to London late last year. We discussed trends in the legal profession for 2012 and Williams noted that “Law firms are going through a massive transformation … and it is really just beginning.” He highlighted that law firms are coming to terms with a more sophisticated buyer, globalization, and relatively flat profitability. These factors, among others, are causing firms to think about how they operate, the clients they target, and the markets in which they provide services.
I spoke with Andrew Partridge, the co-founder of Mondaq, about the evolution of content distribution and the value of metrics in marketing. He noted that since the market has changed, professionals are much more focused on who reads their work, why and for how long. Metrics that can profile those readers and permit organic follow-up are increasingly important. Ultimately, content generation is about showcasing your expertise, he notes. “The key is getting to the detailed analytics behind the readership.”
I spoke with Noel Rath, Worldwide Product Marketing Manager, for HP TRIM Software in Brisbane, Australia, and Peggy Milovina-Meyer, Global Records Manager for Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto. We discussed the information explosion over the past few years and how different legal technologies, including HP TRIM, have evolved. We also addressed key considerations for developing a records management strategy, and the specific challenges of those facing them in the current market.
I spoke with Kaan Çaglar, the co-founder of Atdaa, a social travel platform about Istanbul, Turkey. We discussed his new venture, the convergence of social media, and local travel.
I spoke with Sean Regan, the director of product marketing for Symantec‘s information management group about the integration of Clearwell into his organization. We also discussed his unique background, including his role as Editor-in-Chief for The Sedona Conference’s International Overview of Discovery, Data Privacy & Disclosure Requirements, the reasons for the mainstream technology industry’s current attraction to successful e-discovery vendors, and, of course, why he says that “It is a dream come true for Clearwell to join this company.”
I spoke with Jay Leib, who leads the advice@kCura team at kCura, which makes Relativity. Leib’s team performs custom solution development and provides workflow guidance. We discussed the new Relativity Ecosystem, interoperability trends focusing on tools that solve business problems, and the buzz about creating apps for legal technology software at kCura’s annual user conference, Relativity Fest.
I spoke with Lisa DiMonte, CEO of MyLegal.com, a website that helps lawyers select vendors, about the site’s new Legal Vendor Deals program, in which a MyLegal member provides a discount on its services to those in the legal profession. In an effort to reinvent the typical daily deals model, MyLegal has combined these offers with vendor reviews. As such, the site offers information about an organization or individual, as well as access to any available ratings and commentary associated with that organization or individual.
I spoke with Chris Rider, an organizational sociologist, who serves as an Assistant Professor of Organization & Management at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School to discuss his working paper – Networks, Hiring, and Inter-organizational Mobility: Evidence from Law Firm Dissolutions. According to the article, Heller Ehrman; Thelen; Thacher Proffitt Wood; WolfBlock; Dreier; and Morgan & Finnegan ceased operations in 2008 and 2009. Professor Rider tracked the employment of the 1,426 attorneys left jobless by the dissolutions of their firms by reviewing LinkedIn, Martindale-Hubbell and other online directories. He confirmed that 88% found jobs and noted that many of those positions were the result of proactive networking (he highlighted that more of them may have found jobs, but he could not locate them). Among other trends, he concluded that firms are more likely to hire a lawyer’s former colleagues and those from a particular alumni network. Listen to our interview in which he remarks that “the people you work with are in a better position to speak to your talent, your expected productivity and your ability to complement others.”
I spoke with Stephen Greenwood, the co-founder of EasySign, a mobile e-signature application for consumers that is reinventing the way individuals execute documents on the go without printers, scanners or fax machines, about the genesis of EasySign, the success of its iPhone app, the upcoming launch of its Android app, and the future of the mobile applications market.
I spoke with M. Cherif Bassiouni, current chairman of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry to Investigate Violations of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law in Libya. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 for his work in the field of international criminal justice and for his contribution to the creation of the International Criminal Court, M. Cherif Bassiouni, is the epitome of a global statesman. I had the privilege of interviewing him for an upcoming article and he made a number of inspiring comments during our conversation. This is an excerpt.
I spoke with T.M. Ravi, chief marketing officer for Iron Mountain Digital, the division of Iron Mountain that provides electronic information management. We discussed Iron Mountain's recently announced information management strategy, e-discovery trends, ranging from cost reduction to client control, and location/media agnostic solutions for managing information.
I spoke with Ron Collins, the founder and CEO of Credenza, a practice management software company, as well as the founder of Gavel & Gown Software, makers of Amicus Attorney. We discussed the release of Credenza (described in this video), how it differs from Amicus Attorney, practice management trends, and what the introduction of Credenza signals about the evolution and the future of legal practice.
I spoke with Manfred Gabriel, a managing director in FTI Technology’s New York office. An expert on e-discovery processes and tools, Gabriel helps lead FTI’s all-in-one legal document review service offering, Acuity. Prior to joining FTI, Gabriel practiced antitrust law at Latham & Watkins and handled many large-scale second request and e-discovery matters. We discussed Acuity, FTI's goal in developing the solution and the advantages of using a reference set of materials along with "suggested coding" tools.
I spoke with Paul Brabant, the senior vice president for eDiscovery at Epiq Systems, a provider of integrated technology services for the legal market. We discussed IQ Review, the reliance on machine-based processes to determine the relevance of documents, as well as the defensibility of such efforts.
I spoke with Dan Tacone, President of IntApp, a technology company that focuses on data governance within large global law firms. Tacone was recently featured in the prestigious President's Corner column in Law Technology News. Before joining IntApp, Tacone was the Senior Vice President of Global Customers at Thomson Reuters. We discussed the key considerations for law firm management addressing data governance issues, the evolution of data governance since intApp's founding a decade ago, and his predictions for data governance within the large law firm market.
I spoke with Jason Goitia, the founder of the Goitia Law Firm in Tampa, whose mission is to empower clients to use a Florida law firm online. His website, FloridaVirtualLawOffice.com, allows flat-fee online document assembly. We discussed the genesis of his firm, the advantages of operating a virtual office, the value of flat fee arrangements for his clients, and the similarities between the evolutionary trend in the law to those that have taken place in the retail banking industry.
I spoke with Steve Fletcher, the Chief Information Officer for Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, as well as the winner of LTN's "IT Director of the Year" award. We discussed the firm's collaborative approach to marketing, business development and technology, focusing on its creation of Parkway, an intranet platform that centralizes information and enables the firm's lawyers to showcase their capabilities to potential clients.
I spoke with Brian Wick, the Chief Marketing Officer for Hewlett Packard's Information Management division, which focuses on records management, archiving and data protection. We discussed the February release of TRIM 7, a records management solution focused on content created using Microsoft SharePoint, and how this new version impact data usage in the legal market, as well as records management and archiving trends affecting the legal community in 2010.
I spoke with Todd Brunia, the founder and CEO of Xilution, Inc., a software development company based in Urbandale, IA, which makes Time 2.0, an online time tracking and reporting application. In addition to a free version for the PC, Xilution offers mobile apps for the iPhone, BlackBerry and Droid. We discussed the company's history, the problem that Time 2.0 addresses, the advantages of the mobile component and the future of time capture.
I spoke with Dan Nye, the former CEO of LinkedIn and current Executive Director of RocketLawyer.com. We discussed how technology is transforming the legal industry, who benefits from that transformation and what will the delivery of legal services will look like in five years.
I spoke with Richard Jackson, the founding President and CEO of Speak Write, an off-site transcription service, which I have used for a few years in connection with enhancing my productivity.
I spoke with Rick Borstein, the Business Development Manager specializing in the Acrobat-Legal Market for Adobe Systems Inc. Rick also writes the popular Acrolaw blog. We discussed the evolution of PDF and the efficiencies it creates.
I spoke with Neil Araujo, the CEO of Autonomy iManage, which focuses on applying technology to a variety of information processing tools for law firms and corporate legal departments, including records management, legal hold, and early case assessment. We discussed the key evolutionary changes in legal technology since Araujo founded iManage in 1995, the advantages of the trend in corporate collaborations, and the trajectory of the industry over the next year.
I spoke with Kurt Jensen, the President and CEO of Daegis, an e-discovery professional services company. We discussed the company's position in the market and the trajectory of the e-discovery industry in 2010.
I spoke with Jim McGann, the Vice President of Marketing for Index Engines, a provider of tools to manage data and make ESI more accessible. We discussed the company's receipt of the gold LTN Award for Best New Product of the Year for its unified discovery platforms, as well as the silver LTN Awards for litigation support software and records management software. We also focused on how technology is transforming the accessibility of data discussion and the evolution of that issue over the next year.
I spoke with Steve Butterworth, the President of BigHand, Inc., a voice productivity and digital dictation application in the professional services market. We discussed the difference between dictation and speech recognition, encouraging the adoption by junior legal professionals, the role mobility plays and how BigHand address firm/user productivity, streamline workflows, and increase client service. My colleague, Brett Burney, discusses BigHand and the digital dictation trend in No Robotics from the February issue of Law Technology News.
I spoke with Mike Agron, the co-principal and executive webinar producer of WebAttract, an end-to-end service to drive demand generation via informational webinars, including project and technical management, collaborative content development, and high-impact audience recruitment. We discussed the history of WebAttract, the surge in interest and popularity in webinars, the types of webinars being promoted, and the biggest challenges in producing and delivering webinars.
I spoke with William Ho, vice president of Internet Products at Biscom, an enterprise document delivery company based in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. He runs the Biscom Delivery Server division to help companies with their secure document needs (read Sean Doherty's review here). Previously, Ho was CEO and founder of vVault, the maker of online document storage and management software. We discussed Biscom Delivery Server and the distinction between complex secure file transfer and FTP. He noted that the evolution of standard file transfer programs is particularly relevant for the legal community. Ho also addressed the impact of the upcoming Massachusetts data privacy law on the future of secure document delivery.
I spoke with Brad Harris, the new Director of Legal Products at Zapproved, a software company offering web-based solutions that add accountability in business communication, and is the maker of Legal Hold Pro. We discussed the company's history and its move into the legal vertical, how Legal Hold Pro is unique in the marketplace, and prospective trends in this area.
At Legaltech New York Day 3, I spoke with Mary Mack, Corporate Technology Counsel for Fios, Inc. about the value of partnerships.
I spoke with Charles Moore, the founder and CEO of RocketLawyer about his experience as a first-time exhibitor at Legaltech New York.
At LegalTech New York Day 3, I spoke with Deborah Baron, the Vice President of Legal & Compliance for Autonomy about cloud computing and collaboration.
I spoke with Craig Carpenter, the Vice President and General Counsel of Recommind about predictive coding.
I spoke with Dean Gonsowski, the Vice President of E-Discovery Services at Clearwell Systems about the most misunderstood theme at the conference.
I spoke with Howard Reissner, CEO of Planet Data and Mark Yacano, a shareholder at LeClairRyan about partnerships between vendors and lawyers, the launch of Exego, and the importance of collaboration for client service.
I spoke with Richard Newton, the vice president of Business Integrity, which launched ContractExpress.com at LegalTech NY Day 1.
I spoke with Nigel Murray, the managing director of Trilantic, an e-discovery vendor based in London providing services to U.S. corporations and law firms managing their U.S. collections, processing and hosting for European document projects. We discussed the distinctions between the U.S. and European markets, considerations for U.S. attorneys removing data from the E.U., his predictions for 2010 and an upcoming educational track on the topic at LegalTech New York.
I spoke with Robert Owen, a partner with Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. He is head of the New York location's litigation group, as well as co-head of the firm's E-Discovery and Information Management practice group. Owen is part of the core team that conceived of and has administered Fulbright's Annual Litigation Trends Survey since its inception in 2004. We discussed his New York Law Journal article, Seeking Ways to Set Limits on E-Discovery, in which he cites the factors that are leading numerous groups to initiate re-examinations of U.S. e-discovery rules, summarizes their progress and makes predictions for 2010. He noted that "we are alone among the nations of the world in having adopted a full pre-trial disclosure philosophy back in 1938" and "what we are seeing now is a confluence of efforts" by diverse groups to make litigation more manageable.
I spoke with Ray Zwiefelhofer, the new president of World Software Corporation, the maker of Worldox, a legal document management product. We discussed the company's history and his new role, the greatest technology challenges lawyers and legal staff are facing today, and the 2010 outlook. He predicts the continued growth of mobile and cloud computing, as well as consolidation in the industry.
I spoke with Lisa DiMonte, the CEO of MyLegal.com, a social network for professionals that matches people to opportunities in the legal industry. The site also aggregates and delivers information of interest to this community. We discussed the creation of MyLegal.com, the target audience, how MyLegal.com differs from other social networking platforms and its expansion plans for 2010.
I spoke with Nader Anise, an attorney and the CEO of LawyerWire.com, a media leads and press release distribution service to the legal industry. We discussed the genesis of LawyerWire, the types of queries that it shares with its subscribers and the future of interaction between the legal community and the media.
I spoke with Patrick Oot, the co-founder of the Electronic Discovery Institute, and co-author of a recently released study - Document Categorization in Legal Electronic Discovery: Computer Classification vs. Manual Review - on the effectiveness of technology in document review. Oot will be presenting his findings at the 2009 IQPC E-Discovery conference next week. We discussed the genesis of this study, his reaction to the results and the implications of the research on document review in 2010.
I spoke with Patrick Burke, Senior Director and Assistant General Counsel for Guidance Software, the makers of Encase, which is used by corporations for the collection and processing of e-mail and electronic information. Burke will be moderating a panel of judges and chairing the second day at the 2009 IQPC E-Discovery conference next week. We discussed the judges panel and the technology-related issues on which Burke expects the judiciary to focus in 2010.
I spoke with Kevin Werbach, a lawyer and professor of legal studies at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he focuses his research on Internet and telecommunications policy. Werbach served as a co-lead on the FCC review of the Obama Administration's Presidential Transition Team. He also founded the Supernova conference, which he describes as an "executive forum for the digital age." We discussed the new legal track at this year's conference (December 1st through the 3rd in San Francisco), including coverage of trademarks and intermediaries, privacy and the social web, and reforming copyright law, among others, as well as his goals for lawyers who attend. "I feel like value gets created and insight gets sparked when you put people in a room who are not necessarily always in a room together," he says.
I spoke with Rick Klau, the product manager on Blogger for Google, who was a contributor to the team that recently launched case law on Google Scholar. We discussed his work at Blogger, the purpose of the case law project, and its impact on the legal research landscape.
I spoke with Howard Reissner, Esq., the CEO and co-founder of Planet Data Solutions, a global data management services provider. We discussed the history of Planet Data, the evolution of the discovery industry, and his predictions for 2010.
I spoke with Warren Whitlock, the founder of BestSellerAuthors.com, and the author of Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online (Xeno Press, 2008). He is also a social media strategist, who works with authors, professionals and businesses. We discussed the genesis of the book, the impact of Twitter, best practices for using the short messaging service and the art of engaging in conversation online.
I spoke with Nancy Fox, the founder of HubStreet, a professional networking site for lawyers, accountants, and lenders (recently featured in Law Technology News). She is also the President of Fox Coaching Associates, a coaching and training organization that is focused on business development for lawyers and other service providers. We discussed the genesis of HubStreet, which she describes as an online representation of the two-year-old MetroRoundTable networking organization targeted at complementary trusted advisors. Fox also remarked on the ways that legal professionals are using technology for business development, why social media is such a hot topic for lawyers and the best way to get started (including visits to law-related sites, such as JD Supra, Legally Minded and Legal OnRamp).
I spoke with Chere Estrin, chairperson of the Board of Directors for The Organization of Legal Professionals, a non-profit organization established to provide e-discovery certification to attorneys, non-attorneys, vendors, and technicians through education and collaboration. Estrin is also the editor of SUE magazine for women litigators and KNOW magazine for paralegals. We discussed the timing of the OLP's launch this fall, its partners (including DLA Piper's Browning Marean and Verizon's Patrick Oot), and the certification process, among other issues.
I spoke with Greg Bufithis, founder and chairman of The Posse List, a membership-based organization that provides information to the legal market about e-discovery and ESI management. Its members include contract attorneys, forensics consultants, paralegals, in-house counsel, law firm attorneys, solo practitioners, legal vendors, and others. In this second part of our discussion, Bufithis talks about the recent Association of Corporate Counsel conference and the increased focus on technology that streamlines the in-house legal department, the dilemma for in-house counsel who are facing increased responsibilities with fewer resources, and the trend from ECA (early case assessment) to EIA (early information assessment). As noted in the earlier post, Bufithis, a former bankruptcy lawyer, is also responsible for Project Counsel, The Posse Ranch, and the E-Discovery Reading Room.
I spoke with Greg Bufithis, founder and chairman of The Posse List, a membership-based organization that provides information to the legal market about e-discovery and ESI management. Its members include contract attorneys, forensics consultants, paralegals, in-house counsel, law firm attorneys, solo practitioners, legal vendors, and others. We discussed the history of the Posse List, its growth from a few hundred names to over 18,000, its mission and the future of its posse. Bufithis, a former bankruptcy lawyer, is also responsible for Project Counsel, The Posse Ranch, and the E-Discovery Reading Room.
I spoke with Todd Gerstein, co-founder and CEO of Smart WebParts, a company creating time capture and entry software, which released its flagship product, Smart Time, on September 15, 2009. We discussed the genesis of the company, the timing of the release, and the way in which the company seeks to produce software that generates revenue for its users.
I spoke with Eric Kuperman, Esq., a litigation support consultant for vdiscovery, which provides discovery management and e-discovery solutions to law firms and corporations nationwide. We discussed Kuperman's legal career, the changes in the legal community over the past decade and the expansion of e-discovery services into the small law firm market in 2010.
I spoke with Eric Kuperman, Esq., a litigation support consultant for vdiscovery, which provides discovery management and e-discovery solutions to law firms and corporations nationwide. We discussed Kuperman's legal career, the changes in the legal community over the past decade and the expansion of e-discovery services into the small law firm market in 2010.
I spoke with Ed Walters, co-founder and CEO of Fastcase, a next generation legal research service seeking to democratize the law and advance the state of legal research. Walters is a former journalist and big firm lawyer, who wanted a different solution to the traditional research tools so he and a partner built it themselves. We discussed the genesis of Fastcase, which now has more than 380,000 subscribers, the future of online legal research and the impact of these changes on the practice of law.
I spoke with Charles Moore, the founder and CEO of RocketLawyer.com, an online legal service provider. Before founding RocketLawyer, Moore was an original member of the Venture Law Group and helped Yahoo! close its series B and C rounds of funding prior to its IPO. RocketLawyer's board members include Google CLO, David Drummond, and Martindale-Hubbell CEO, Ralph Calistri. We discussed ways that empowering consumers to manage their legal issues provides advantages to lawyers, the migration of the practice of law online, and future trends in the legal industry.
I spoke with Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo.com, one of the leading online legal websites with 1.5 million unique visitors per month. Britton, a co-blogger on this site, and I discussed Avvo's history, its rapid growth, and the ways in which lawyers can benefit from its services. One of my favorite quotes from the conversation is: "We get lawyers tons of business! Avvo is just a fantastic place for lawyers to set themselves apart and attract new clients - all for free."
I spoke with Arihant Patni, the CEO of Bodhi Global, a legal support services firm based in the U.S. and India that provides litigation support, corporate due diligence and contract management. We discussed offshore outsourcing trends, the advantages of using overseas support services, and the future of outsourcing in U.S.-based litigation. Patni noted that it is no longer a question of where activities are taking place. The flattening of the world has placed the focus on quality, rather than location.
I spoke with Afshin Behnia, the CEO of Mitratech, a provider of legal matter management and e-billing software. We discussed trends in the legal industry and the economic impact of the recession. He reported an upward trend in litigation caused by, among other factors, increased regulation and stronger enforcement. He also highlighted that corporations could realize material savings on legal fees through coordinated outside counsel management and implementing a preferred counsel program.
I spoke with Joy Heath Rush, the Enterprise Multimedia Manager at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago and the President of the seven-member board of directors for the International Legal Technology Association about the upcoming ILTA annual conference, which she described as "the number one venue for peer networking for people who are professionals in legal technology and unmatched educational sessions." Among other interesting initiatives, there will be ILTA TV and additional early morning super sessions ("extra keynote sessions"), including one by Richard Susskind, author of The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services (Oxford University Press, 2009).
I spoke with Jane Allen, president and founder of Counsel on Call, a provider of flexible legal solutions for lawyers. She noted that success in the current environment is more about securing the best value for the money being spent, rather than simply cutting an organization's spending. In that regard, law firm partners are being strategic and are trying to make good business decisions to weather the down market. Law firms and clients are also trying to determine whether a new model of practicing law is emerging. She noted "on the bright side" that while the legal employment market has tightened, there are more opportunities for lawyers than ever before to do things outside of the traditional practice.
I spoke with Brett Owens, the CEO and co-founder of Chrometa, a company that makes time capture software for solo practitioners and small law firms, about its 2.0 release. The product records and organizes time spent by application, e-mail, Internet activity, and document. It also allows users to view their totals by day, week, month or a customized range. Brett and I discussed the innovation trends in the legal community and the impact of Web 2.0 tools on recent advancements in legal technology.
I spoke with Dale Drury, Vice President of AlphaLit, about his recent recognition in LTN's President's Corner and the company's release of PrivLog Builder, which helps create and manage privilege logs. Drury attributes the development of the new program to the "good ideas of our very smart clients." As he approaches his 23rd anniversary with the company, he notes that common sense and technology can help the industry move forward in this environment. He also highlights that strong project management can help with the recovery in the second half of the year because clients rely on their vendors' project managers to be their advocates.
I spoke with George Ruge, a partner with and co-founder of Paradocs, a company that creates e-briefs and deposition digests for law firms and corporations. We discussed the adoption by courts across the country of electronic briefing and streamlined pleading management, as well as the benefits to judges and practitioners.
I spoke with David Cowen, the managing director of The Cowen Group, an executive search and market analysis firm focusing exclusively on litigation support and e-discovery. We discussed hiring trends and the market for legal talent. While he is observing a flattening of the employment market in law firms, and possibly a depression, following years of double-digit growth, he is seeing an upward demand for staff on the corporate side. Cowen highlights that the moment an organization makes the decision to insource, they realize they need the talent to drive that strategy and will likely get it from law firms and vendors. He views the corporate market as similar to the positioning of major law firms in 2003-2005, who were just establishing major e-discovery practices. As such, he has an optimistic view of the employment picture.
I spoke with Jason Mark Anderman, President and co-founder of WhichDraft.com, a completely free automated contract assembly service, who advises members of the legal community that this is the greatest time to possibly start a business because there are a lot of services that you can offer in a down economy that save people money (e.g., drafting contracts for free). He notes that hopeful software architects need to take responsibility for determining what their product/service should look like themselves. Anderman suggests simply sitting down with a pencil and paper to sketch out the functionality, then scanning that image into a pdf and sending it directly to the developer. He discourages would-be entrepreneurs from taking a vague concept to a developer and hoping to cost-effectively bring the business to fruition.
I spoke recently with Nicole L. Black, a renaissance lawyer, who is a member of the legal Twitterati (@nikiblack), a quintuple blogger and the creator of LawTechTalk.com, which she describes as the "Consumer Reports of Legal Technology." She connects lawyers to Web 2.0 and other aspects of legal technology using screencasts that compare different offerings. Her most recent program, Web-Based Law Practice Management Systems, focuses on Clio, LawRD, and Rocketmatter. Nicole also offers practice management tips in her Legal Currents column for The Daily Record. To enhance efficiency, she suggests that lawyers use, among others, Google Apps and virtual assistants.
I spoke with authors Shawnna Childress, an Associate Director of Navigant Consulting and co-founder of Women in eDiscovery, and Allison Brecher, the Senior Litigation Counsel and Director of Information Management and Strategy at Marsh & McLennan Companies, about the publication of their new book, eDiscovery Plain & Simple: A Plain English Crash Course in E-Discovery (Author House, June 25, 2009), which reflects on the duo's vast experience . Written from a multi-disciplinary perspective with graphic supplements, the book is meant to aid lawyers realizing that as Brecher noted in our conversation, "All discovery is e-discovery."
I spoke with Mike Kohlsdorf, CEO of Aderant, an application software company that focuses on professional services firms, about the changes in the economy and an increased need for technology solutions at law firms. We discussed criteria that law firms use to evaluate technology, i.e., quality, implementation speed, and customer support. He highlighted that great products are architecturally open, scalable, feature-rich functionally, and have a low total cost of ownership. He also offered his predictions for the remainder of the year, noting "We are starting to approach, at least in the legal vertical, some level of stability." He referenced Citi Private Bank's Managing Partner Confidence Index, which reports, according to this article in The Recorder, "About two-thirds of 133 managing partners or chairmen surveyed said the economy is the same or better than six months ago, and 59 percent expect a stable or improving economy over the next six months." In fact, "there is a lot more optimism today than there was as little as two or three months ago," Kohlsdorf said.
I spoke with Kevin Chern, the President of Total Attorneys, Inc., which founded the Total Practice Management Association and served as the principal sponsor of the conference. There were purportedly 250 live attendees and over 2,100 unique log-ins to its real-time web stream. Kevin highlighted: By doing things smarter, you can work less and be more successful, e.g., instead of managing staff, hire virtual assistants. There is a misconception that you have to start working at 9am and leave the office at 5 or 6pm. By having balance, there does not need to be a strict demarcation between your personal and professional life. His ultimate message: You can have a better quality of life and be more successful while working more reasonable hours.
I spoke with Steve Matthews, the founder of Vancouver-based Stem Legal, which helps lawyers with SEO optimization and coordination of their social media efforts, about the usage of LinkedIn by legal professionals. In tracking the tool for over a year, Matthews found that about 100,000 members of the legal industry worldwide maintained LinkedIn accounts in April of 2008 At the beginning of June, the number of lawyers on Linkedin increased to over 800,000. He offers insights on that rise and suggestions for taking advantage of LinkedIn to help raise your profile.
I spoke with Grant Griffiths, the co-founder of Blawging Lawyers, about the value of blogging for legal professionals and ways in which law students can help practitioners jump-start their marketing efforts. Grant offers great insight on starting a blog and the time commitment involved in the endeavor.
I spoke with Aviva Cuyler, the founder of JD Supra, a legal content publishing and distribution platform. I profiled JD Supra in "A Revolution in Online Content" a year ago and in this interview, we discussed the evolution of the JD Supra platform, the company's new Law Centers, its integration with social media and her recommendations for lawyers interested in expanding their presence online.
I spoke with Rob Robinson, the VP of Marketing for Orange Legal Technologies, about effective ways to communicate with customers and the industry news update he distributes weekly called Unfiltered Orange.
I spoke with Joe Utsler, Vice President of Product Strategy for IPRO Tech, which is focused on document acquisition, management, and production, about new initiatives, trends, and predictions.
I recently spoke with Jonathan Martin, the Vice President and General Manager of Information Management at Hewlett Packard. We discussed e-discovery trends, foreign jurisdictions with current e-discovery concerns, and the results of a study HP commissioned in which an outside researcher interviewed 142 business and technology executives. Some of the findings included: Approximately 40% of companies are hindered by a lack of in-house expertise and an unclear information strategy. Workflow transformation, records management and e-discovery/compliance are areas in which companies are expected to invest in the next two years. Nearly half of the survey respondents were unfamiliar with the EDRM.
I spoke with Rich Turner, the Vice President of Marketing for Content Analyst, a concept search engine developer, about the search market, related trends and the impact of the economy on e-discovery.
I spoke this morning with Andy Adkins, Director of the Legal Technology Institute at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and author of The Lawyer's Guide to Practice Management Systems Software, Second Edition (ABA, 2009). We discussed the release of his new book, practice management trends and future developments in legal technology.
I spoke yesterday with Nate Pruitt, VP of Sales and Marketing for Netsimplicity, the maker of Meeting Room Manager room scheduling software. We discussed the legal industry's increased emphasis on productivity, cost control and time management.
I spoke this morning with Larry Port, Founding Partner and Chief Software Architect for Rocket Matter, a maker of web-based software for law firm productivity. We discussed the ABA Tech Show, the growth of his company, and the convergence of law and technology in this unstable economy. There is a detailed article about the company, which appeared in the Connecticut Law Tribune late last month.
I spoke recently with Wayne Ford and Rob Jensen, the Senior Vice President of Marketing Channels and Business Development, and the Senior Director of Marketing, respectively, for Anacomp, the maker of CaseLogistix. We discussed trends in e-discovery, including more efficient searching and improved culling of information, streamlined litigation review, and hidden metadata. With respect to hosted review, Ford and Jensen highlighted the following advantages: (1) leveraging the infrastructure of another organization; (2) seamless scalability; and, (3) controlled access.
I had an interesting discussion with Carolyn Crandall, Rich Faris and Chuck Williams of i365 at LegalTech about the success of the Metalincs acquisition, the launch of version 5.0 and some predictions for the coming year.
I spoke with Nicole Eagan, the dynamic Chief Marketing Officer for Autonomy, on the last day of LegalTech a few weeks ago. In addition to sharing stories about the evolution of the technology industry and our respective experiences in the dot-com era, we discussed trends related to audio information governance and other issues that will affect the landscape in 2009.
I spoke with Dean Gonsowski, VP of E-Discovery Services for Clearwell Systems, on the last day of LegalTech NY. We discussed the continuing trend of enterprises taking e-discovery in-house, internationalization and data mapping. He noted that "good proactive hygiene" in e-discovery has always been the goal.
I spoke with Sasha Hefler, the President of The Masters Conference, at LegalTech NY about the state of legal technology conferences in the current climate.
I spoke with Karthik Kannan, the VP Marketing/Business Development at Kazeon. We discussed the continuing trends for e-discovery management in 2009: Bringing e-discovery in-house; Early case assessment; End-to-end legal hold management; In-place analysis; and, Legal review.
I spoke with Brett Tarr, the General Counsel for eMag Solutions, who advised that the industry will see more proactive information management and a return to basics in 2009. Organizations are spending less on the next big thing and focusing more on proactive information management.
I spoke with John Correggio, the founder of New Wave Legal, which announced its formation to coincide with LegalTech. The company describes itself as "a single-source supplier of legal technology, discovery support, and court reporting services" through partnerships with various organizations. Listen to my interview on the floor of the show with Correggio and Matt Spievak of Sarnoff Court Reporters and Legal Technologies, part of the New Wave Legal consortium.
I spoke with Nishith Desai and Vaibhav Parikh of Nishith Desai Associates, a prominent law firm based in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, Singapore, and Silicon Valley. It was the winner of the International Financial Law Review's 2001 Indian Law Firm of the Year award and its 2002 Asian Law Firm of the Year (Pro-bono) award. His firm follows the Ghandi/Hendy model of democratic management.
I spoke with Craig Carpenter, VP & General Counsel at Recommind. He mentioned the trend toward building more effective and intelligent infrastructure.
I spoke with Matt Blake, a partner and Chief Compliance Officer with HSNO about the state of e-discovery and his predictions for 2009. He commented that litigants will need to assess the risks of a legal action earlier and more thoroughly than ever this year.
I spoke with James L. Michalowicz, a director with ACT Litigation Services, who previously managed litigation programs at Tyco and DuPont. He suggested that IP litigation could drop in 2009 and that there will be more preliminary 'quick peek' and 'snapshot' efforts.
I spoke with Chris May, the CEO of IE Discovery and he suggested that in 2009, companies will need to use technology more effectively and efficiently to succeed. He also predicted a significant increase in wage and hour claims.
I spoke with Tom Tigh, the President of New York-based Superior Glacier, which provides traditional and electronic discovery support. He has testified in Federal Court as an expert in ESI and has been appointed to oversee the court-directed production of ESI. He made a number of interesting comments, including that "2009 is going to be filled with a lot of bad e-discovery."