The American Lawyer's annual Associate Survey is hot off the press, and not surprisingly, it reports significant malaise about technology.
Addressing the dilemma of whether it's best, during a recession, "to conserve cash or ramp up spending to win a competitive advantage when the economy turns around," reporter Charlie Mead found that firms tried both approaches, with mixed results.
TAL asked 4,942 mid-level associates to rank their firm's technology in the areas of quality, training, support, and use on behalf of clients. Morrison & Foerster took a big hit from complainers, and dropped to 69th from last year's 46 ranking. "Technology updates have been nonexistent," wrote one frustrated MoFo fifth-year lawyer. "The firm is cheaper than ever in all respects, and it is depressing."
Bingham McCutchen took a similar spill, dropping from 38 to 58, and was called "even less nimble with respect to adopting new technologies" than in the past. (The firm says it will invest more money this year.)
"I think the firm fails to see how much productivity is lost due to outdated technology," wrote a third-year associate at Reed Smith, which took a slight drop from 86 to 81.
At the bottom: Boies, Schiller & Flexner, where upgrades are long overdue, complained a senior associate. "I think we really are in the Dark ages," said the associate. "We don't have a document management system."
Probably no one would be surprised that Wilson Sonsini was cited as quick to adopt new tech even in rough times. Happy associates there pushed the firm's ranging up to 16 from 95 last year. Top firm Thompson Coburn (for five years running) didn't cut technology spending, but didn't expand it either.
The complete survey is available at www.americanlawyer.com/associates.
September 7, 2010 in Technology | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
ILTA TECH PURCHASING SURVEY
ILTA and InsideLegal have released the results of the 7th annual "ILTA Member Technology Purchasing Survey." The 43-question web-based survey yielded 109 firm responses, with 84% from the U.S. and 16% from Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil.
Among the highlights of this year's poll:
• 45% of respondents report that their firms are already back to normal financially
• 6% expect to be there in another year
• 17% have implemented cloud computing;
• 49% use Microsoft's SharePoint internally, and 24% use it as a collaboration tool for clients and other external communications;
• 69% were offered vendor discounts last year, and 20% received free services from their tech vendors;
• biggest challenges: e-mail management, staffing, and storage.
For a free copy of the survey analysis, visit www.InsideLegal.com.
September 3, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
SOCIAL JUDGES
State judges -- on their own time -- are cautiously experimenting with social media (e.g., Facebook), reports Tony Mauro in The National Law Journal. But, he notes, "judges doubt they could use the new media tools in their professional lives without violating judicial ethics codes."
A recent survey from the Conference of Court Public Information Officers found that 40% of responding judges say they use social media, and almost all said judges and court personnel need to familiarize themselves with the phenomenon. But less than 7% use sites for official purposes, such as alerts to the public or press about newly issued rulings, says Mauro. An exception is the Tennessee court system, on Twitter, which has about 900 followers.
September 2, 2010 in Surveys | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
NY EDD UPDATES
New York has been a hotbed for e-discovery advances, what with Judge Shira Scheindlin's landmark cases (Zubulake, Montreal Pension, et al), and Magistrate Judge Andrew Peck's opinions on keywords.
The state's judiciary recently finalized alterations to §202.10(b) and §202.70(g) of the Uniform Rules of Trial Courts, which became effective on Aug. 17, after approval by Chief Judge Jonathan Lipmann and the presiding judges of four appellate division departments. The New York Law Journal offers this analysis by Joel Stashenko about how the amendments -- which state that all attorneys "must be sufficiently versed in matters relating to their clients' technology systems to discuss competently all issues relating to electronic discovery" at preliminary conferences -- will push recalcitrant lawyers to understand EDD.
And after 11 years of experimentation, New York has also begun to institute mandatory e-filing in some areas, he reports.
September 1, 2010 in EDD: E-Discovery, News & Analysis | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
ILTA RECAPCongrats to Randi Mayes, Peggy Wechsler, T.J. Johnson, and the rest of the ILTA execs and volunteers, for a tremendous 2010 convention.
I was honored to participate in the Law2020 series, a "multi-year, multi-platform" series of educational programs on how our profession must adapt to thrive into the next decade.I moderated a panel, organized by John Alber, a partner at Bryan Cave, that featured three dynamic speakers: attorney Maureen Atta, of Huron Consulting; consultant Barbara Schane Jackson; and Gibson Dunn partner Gareth Evans. They brilliantly addressed how alternative fee arrangements are triggering changes in law firm hierarchies, with the addition of more "staff attorneys" (especially in e-discovery), and how concrete metrics are needed to satiate client demands for better, faster, and cheaper legal services.
Thanks also to the vendors who took time to tell LTN about their products and services. My only regret was that I did not have time to attend more sessions. At ILTA, just like LegalTech New York, I always leave wishing I could have cloned myself at least four times to take full advantage of the show.
Ultimately what makes ILTA and LTNY the most valuable, is spending time with our wonderful legal technology community. The chance to connect with your peers, catch up, compare notes, commiserate, and chat informally about how we are all addressing the challenges we face.
More than anything else, at the end of the meetings, that is what sends you home energized and excited about the days ahead. Not surprisingly, the ILTA Twitter feed #ilta10 is still buzzing furiously.
P.S. Best lines of the show:
• "No wonder Cupertino is running out of iPads. Everybody here has one!" (Hat tip for link: PinHawk)
• "A science major could figure out the guest room lights in about three days."
• "This is the first hotel room I've ever stayed in that comes with an owner's manual."
(Re: above two: context)
• "Nothing good happens after 8 p.m." - Browning Marean (A&BKM below). (Yeah, right, Browning. Especially in Vegas. :)
Reports, Blogs, Apps, Videos:
LTN's Sean Doherty: In Focus: Post-ILTA 2010
Palindrome Video (No, not Sarah Palin). This is way kewl, played before opening keynote.
3 Geeks and a Law Blog: What Happened in Vegas Shouldn't Stay in Vegas (ILTA Elvis is from that blog post).
ILTA/InsideLegal Technology Purchasing Survey
ILTA 2010 Mobile App (iPhone/iPod Touch/BlackBerry/Mobile Website)
Above and Beyond KM: An #ILTA10 Survival Guide.
ILTA 2010 Conference Blog
August 31, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
ONE IDEAOne of the most challenging tasks of conference organizers is finding a keynote speaker to spark plug an event. This choice is especially difficult for conventions such as ILTA or LegalTech New York, where the audience has a huge bandwidth of experience, from absolute novice to jaded veteran.
How do you find the just the right person who will engage your attendees and provide both substance and buzz, setting just the right tone and energy for your event? What works best to motivate the crowd: fear? humor? How do you avoid alienating or intimidating your audience? Do you go for empty but enjoyable calories, or provide the protein that will carry the listeners through the subsequent days of the meeting? How do you find a speaker who won't break the budget (good speakers are not cheap). How do you create "sustainable sizzle" -- content that doesn't evaporate as quickly as the crisp fire of sparklers on a dark July night?
After ILTA's opening keynote, many attendees discussed those questions with the fury of a high school debate team. Jason Jennings is a "motivational" speaker and author of several business books, including Think Big, Act Small, and Hit the Ground Running. His keynote was titled, "Five Secrets to Put 'Strategic Unity' on the Fast Track," incorporating ILTA's meeting theme.
Ultimately, Jennings' keynote was a success, even though (and partly because) he polarized the ITLA audience. He generated intense praise from some attendees and strong applause; yet mocking from others who argued that he was simply putting ILTA lipstick on a canned speech about obvious business principals. One enthusiast from a major firm said he was so inspired that he furiously wrote five pages of notes; another mid-career attendee was so irritated with Jennings' simplicity (and religious undertones) that she walked out.
Jennings focused his talk on five companies whose leaders he had interviewed and operating models he admired -- among them, Smuckers and Staples. He concluded that the prime keys to business legal success involve creating work environments 1) with a common "noble" purpose, 2) where teams can "let go" of failing projects, 3) where employees treat the company as if it were their own (and are empowered to do so), and 4) where owners take a "stewardship" approach to the company, recognizing that it doesn't really "belong" to them. I'm forgetting the fifth component of success, but you get the drift.
The messages of Jennings' talk could be pretty much summed up by comparing it to a formulaic television show that I sheepishly admit I often like: Undercover Boss. That's a CBS show where the top dog of a company goes "undercover" and pretends to be a new employee for a week. (Believe it or not, the episode featuring Hooters was fascinating, particularly addressing the company's reputation of unbridled sexism).
After the keynote, six of us intensely evaluated Jennings and his content. George Rudoy, of Shearman & Sterling, posed a question to the group: Were we more influenced in our reaction by the content, or by Jenning's style? The naysayers were unimpressed with both the content and Jennings' cloying self-promotion, complete with an artificial trick at the end to generate a fake standing ovation. (Think George Clooney in Up in the Air).
But the advocates argued that Jennings was mesmerizing, and that they devoured his insights into leadership tactics and planned to apply them immediately at their worksites.
Ultimately, when you think about what makes a good keynote, doesn't it all come down to, "Did this speaker give me one good idea that I can implement in my own shop." If the answer is yes, my time has not been wasted (although poor keynotes are proof positive why I am so happy that BlackBerrys have BrickBreake). Personally, the idea that resonated with me was the idea of "letting go" of projects that have run their course, and instead turning more attention to new opportunities.
And I quickly concede that Jennings fulfilled his duties -- because more than half the attendees (who, at ILTA, range from IT, to finance, HR, attorneys, paralegals, etc.) appreciated his presentation.
But will I remember his presentation? Well, probably yes, because I now know that I will be able to crack up Rudoy by simple evoking Stuart Smalley ("I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!").
Bottom line: the best keynotes keep you talking for years. They are, as some marketing folks call it, "sticky." People are still raving about Malcolm Gladwell at LegalTech New York 2010, who set the gold standard for keynotes. Also memorable: the former CIA dude who so scared the daylights out of everybody as he talked about identity theft that we all wanted to race to our banks, take out all our money, and put it under our mattress.
Of course, the literally-stickiest keynote in years had to be the fabulous presentation at ILTA a few years back, by astronaut James Lovell, who wisely suggested that the secret of success in life is duct tape.
August 25, 2010 in Conventions, Meetings, Live Programs, Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
FIAT LUXAs the legal technology community gathers at the Aria hotel in Las Vegas for the opening day of the International Legal Technology Association's annual meeting, you might assume everyone would be absolutely abuzz about virtualization,
e-discovery tools, and SharePoint.
Nope. The number one topic of Monday conversations was room lighting. Or, should we say, the lack thereof. As Joni Mitchell says, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone."
The guest rooms at the Aria are proof positive that sometimes, you can have too much technology. Where do I start? Well, how about opening the door to your room (when you finally get your room, but that's a whole 'nother story) to be startled by the sound of curtains moving. No worries, it's just the sensors opening the blackout curtains (no doubt closed to save energy by keeping the 103-degree Vegas sun out of your room when you aren't in it). Score 1 point for Al Gore.
But then, you try to turn on the lights. Emphasis on "try." Logic and Pavlovian-dog experience dictate that when a light has a switch, you simple toggle the switch to turn on the light. Those rules don't apply in Vegas.
Turning on the lights at the Aria is like solving a Rubik's cube. There are eight different light panels --plus a device that looks like a counterfeit iPad on the nightstand of the bed. Theoretically, you control the lights from the fake-iPad "touch screen" or the television (IF you can get the television to turn on.)
For example, I could not figure out how to turn on the little desk light. I had to call the front desk twice -- and finally an "engineer" left me a note explaining that the "desk lamp is controlled by the touch panel between both beds. Both touch panel and switch on lamp must be on for it to work." O.K.
The good news: There are so many input/output jacks on the aforementioned desk, you could probably launch a rocket from your room: HDMI, VGA, S-video, video/audio in/out, iPod/iPhone and USB charger plugs, audio in (looks like it's for a mpg player), 2 power plugs, and a reset button. And for a very reasonable $22 you can buy a tech kit with an ethernet cable, an iPod cable, and a PDA charger with 5 tips (but caveat, the box doesn't bother to tell you which PDAs are served by the 5 tips, you just have to guess by looking at the box).
But if you plan to actually sit at the desk and work, well, that's a problem. The chair is about high enough for a 5 year old. It's pretty, but functional -- not. (Fortunately, housekeeping brought me a grown-up chair).
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. The Aria's internet service was down until 4 p.m. Monday and has been iffy all day Tuesday. Great!
There's even technology in the huge "mini-bar." It automatically charges you when you pull an item, so no sneaking out to the convenience store to substitute a $1 can for the Diet Coke that will cost you $4.50.
At least you could never starve in this room. There are four different Aria-branded nut choices ($10-$12); an Aria-branded Martini Shaker Kit (sans the vodka) ($35); numerous Aria-branded chocolates, including Aria chocolate poker chips ($20); and even a bag of Aria-branded "signature hand crafted" potato chips (no price listed). The mini bar includes even more branded sugar options and a "romance kit" (which for some reason they did not brand)($20).
But there is no coffee. I cannot remember the last time I stayed in a hotel where I could not make myself a cup of coffee. So at 5 a.m. this morning, I reached into the aforementioned mini-bar for a non-Aria-branded Diet Coke -- but I guess the faux-iPad had not permissioned the refrigerator to turn on. Oh well. Must be another hint they want me out of the room so the motion detector can close the curtains again.
Anybody got a flashlight?
P.S. A fellow disgruntled coffee addict said she called to complain, and was told that the reason for no coffee maker was that it was a fire hazard. I'm not kidding. Fire hazard. So why do they have an iron in the room? Oh please!
August 24, 2010 in Conventions, Meetings, Live Programs, Technology, Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
VEGAS, BABY! The troops are arriving in Las Vegas for the International Legal Technology Association annual meeting, and Sean Doherty and I are looking forward to a few days of face time with our wonderful community.
Tuesday, I'll be speaking on an 11 a.m. panel organized by John Alber, a partner at Bryan Cave (and winner of the inaugural LTN Award for "IT Champion of the Year," in 2003). It's a fascinating topic, especially in the context of e-discovery: "Supporting an Alternative Staffing Model."
I've been intrigued by the opportunities and hazards of law firm/GC staffing, especially now that many new outside-the-mold attorney e-discovery roles are emerging. (See "Can You Adapt?")
Panelists include Maureen Atta (Huron Consulting Group), Gareth Evans (Gibson Dunn), and Barbara Schane Jackson (Schane Jackson & Associates).
Hope to see you there!
August 24, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Are you an associate, and an up-and-coming star in the e-discovery arena? An established partner whose war stories and wisdom would be appreciated by others? A litigation support leader immersed in the day-to-day realities of EDD challenges? On the GC team, and actively involved with managing your outside counsel's EDD work? A consultant helping organizations understand and cope with exploding volumes of electronically stored information? A forensics expert who spends many days inside courtrooms and deposition rooms?
Share your experiences. We are always looking for fresh voices for our EDD Update blog -- a clearinghouse for all things e-discovery. Our diverse authors provide commentary and analysis, which complement our fast-paced posts about new products, services, people, webinars, mergers and acquisitions, and other EDD news.
If you are interested, drop us a line at lawtech@alm.com, or introduce yourself to me, or Sean Doherty, next week at ILTA.
(Vendors are strongly encouraged to dive into the conversations via comments, but are not eligible to serve as blog authors.)
August 23, 2010 in EDD: E-Discovery | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
PRESIDENT'S CORNER: DAVID KALMICK
President's Corner: California's CompuLaw has updated its web-based calendar and docket matter management software.
President and CEO David Kalmick says Vision Web Portal 4 adds tools to help legal professionals customize their calendars. The upgrade supports "ethical walls," to restrict data access by specific professionals to avoid conflicts. Users can mark events as "hidden" to reduce clutter. Private and public "to do" items, as well as case notes, can now be added, changed, and deleted via the web interface, says Kalmick, featured in Law Technology News' August edition.
Other "Practice Tool" debuts include a redesign of LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell; a desktop version of Corsearch's A2Beyond trademark search review software; the latest version of Business Integrity's contract management software, ContractExpress 3.6, and more.
Assist: LTN news editor Daniel Howley.
August 23, 2010 in From the current issue of LTN | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
HOT AUGUST NIGHTS
As we pack for the International Legal Technology Association convention in Vegas next week, as usual, many vendors are promising "revolutionary" launches at the show. As George Socha and Tom Gelbmann reported in "Climbing Back," it does seem that e-discovery purchasing has stabilized into slow but steady growth.
Among recent product upgrades listed in our August issue of Law Technology News magazine:
• Equivio>Relevance 3, which now supports rolling data loads and concurrent tagging for issues;
• Altep's Inspicio 3 with integrated concept searching, clustering, and categorization.
• Ontrack Inview 6.2, with tools to help managers monitor the efficiency of review teams.
Also: Clearwell launched an iPhone app, and RenewData debuted its Anagram Keyword Development software. For more litigation support news, visit our website.
August 19, 2010 in From the current issue of LTN | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
EXPANDING TURF
I've been suggesting for a while now that compliance issues will overshadow electronic discovery, sooner rather than later. After all, both successful compliance and EDD management have at their core strong document management systems, including document retention policies.
Nixon Peabody just announced that it has expanded the role of litigation partner Jonathan Sablone, who founded the firm's e-discovery group in 2004. Sablone now also leads the firm's information law group.
Sablone succeeds Jonathan Redgrave, who has formed a self-named boutique to continue practicing in the area of information law, the firm says. The two firms will continue to collaborate and serve mutual clients, says Nixon Peabody. The firm also has a litigation technology group that provides consulting and technology services to client, including data collection, processing, forensics, and project management.
"Through Mr. Sablone's efforts, the firm has developed an integated approach that standardizes the electronic discovery process across all of the firm's offices and litigation practice groups," notes Fred Kelly, chair of NP's litigation department. "Mr. Sablone works closely with the client's in-house counsel and IT professionals, providing guidance in litigation preparedness, evidence preservation and electronic data collection, review, and production," he notes.
All these areas of expertise will become increasingly important for firms and their clients as e-discovery matures and stabilizes, and as compliance demands gather steam — especially in the wake of increased focus on regulations affecting the financial, health, insurance, and automotive industries. Don't be surprised if you see more "information law" practice areas emerging in firms over the next year.
(Link to the NP press release will be up shortly).
August 18, 2010 in Compliance, EDD: E-Discovery, People | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
HERDING CATS
Managing lawyers has often been compared to the challenge of "herding cats" (translation, nearly impossible). But attorney Peter Rabinov, who has spent time in the contract lawyering trenches, offers 10 tips to help firms manage contract lawyers who are reviewing EDD documents.
Among the tips: choose wisely when hiring and -- at least during initial employment -- check their work. And don't just set them loose and assume they'll figure everything out: create teams, and provide proper support and equipment, advises Rabinov, a member of the California and Massachusetts Bars.
August 17, 2010 in From the current issue of LTN | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
OUT OF THE GATE
It's almost just a formality, but LexisNexis has officially launched Lexis for Microsoft Office. The software, which has been in very active beta for most of 2010, integrates Lexis research tools directly into Office's applications, such as Word, Outlook, and SharePoint Server.
For example, users can access case citations from Word files. A single search box offers one-click access to legal content from LexisNexis, as well as the internet and users' desktop files. Search results are displayed in a window next to the active document for review and management.
A "background" function scans Microsoft Outlook messages and Word documents for relevant "entities," such as people, companies, and cases. It provides hyperlinks to relevant documents, full-text case law, news, and other types of information.
August 16, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
GREEN LAW
It's been five years since Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" brought the realities of global warming front-and-center, and our legal community began to escalate "green" protocols. Little did we realize that these efforts would not just help the environment, but would help us reduce our costs and increase profits as well, to the benefit of our clients and colleagues.
In our August issue, in "Beyond the Basics," reporter Katherine Montgomery takes a look online resources that can help your firm continue its green efforts -- from evaluating the most energy-efficient computers, to successfully recycling electronics you have outgrown, to sites that monitor green news and track environmental litigation.
And if your organization has a story to tell about its green efforts, e-mail us at lawtech@alm.com.
August 13, 2010 in From the current issue of LTN | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
SOUND THE TRUMPETS
It's not too early to submit nominations for our eighth annual juried LTN Awards, to honor our most technology-savvy legal professionals and organizations.
We have streamlined the competition and the process to make it easy to nominate. For starters, it's free -- there's absolutely no fee to enter. So you don't have to go through the annoying check-request process. And that removes a disincentive that might have kept you from nominating someone outside your organization.
The nomination form is simple, and we accept them via fax, e-mail, or even snail mail. (How's THAT for revolutionary!) We've also reduced the categories to five:
• IT Director of the Year;
• IT Champion of the Year (e.g., a lawyer or other legal professional within an organization who is not a member of the IT staff, who helped push for technology adoption);
• Most Innovative Use of Technology in a Law Firm;
• Most Innovative Use of Technology in a Law Department (including government agencies);
• Most Innovative Use of Technology in a Trial.
The deadline to submit your nomination(s) is Dec. 1, 2010. Questions? Contact LTN assistant editor Heather Schultz.
August 12, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
GOOD WORKS
ZyLab reports that key modules of its e-discovery and production software were used in the recent Cambodia tribunals.
Law Technology News covered the trials in Claire Duffett's poignant "Rain of Terror," which chronicled the efforts of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, with the assistance of the United Nations, to prosecute Khmer Rouge leaders who were connected to the deaths of 1.7 million people between 1975 and 1979. This July, Kaing Guek Eav was convicted of crimes against humanity, murder, and torture.
ZyLab's technology included collection, text mining of unstructured data, analysis, and web-based legal review, for the prosecution, defense, and court. Gonzalo de Cesare, former records manager for several U.N. war crimes tribunals, discusses the software here.
The Cambodia prosecution team was the recipient of the 2009 LTN Award for Most Innovative Use of Technology in a Trial. Duffett's article won one of two honorable mentions in the 2010 "Tabbies" Awards for best technical article.
August 11, 2010 in Technology | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
MONITORING THE MONEY
Last year, Reed Smith was the first firm in the competition's history to receive two juried LTN Awards. Tom Baldwin, chief knowledge officer, was named IT Champion of the Year; the firm won for Most Innovative Use of Technology in a Law Firm for the creation of a Microsoft SharePoint project called ouRSpace, a portal that serves as a central communications hub and data center.
The firm has continued to create "RS" tools, and in "Monitoring the Money," Baldwin describes the development of the ouRSite extranet. It is designed to help clients monitor work in progress, with a particular emphasis on tracking costs, says Baldwin, a longtime member of LTN's Editorial Advisory Board. The extranet supports protocols for project management and alternate fee arrangements.
And it's not too early to consider nominating your organization for this year's law firm and law department LTN Awards. We'll soon have detailed information and nomination forms online.
August 10, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
MAILBOX #20100808
* Jim Hammond, president of RainMaker Software, has launched his self-named blog, addressing "the intersection of law firm technology and the real world." His most recent post addresses specialty billing methods.
* James Erik Abels, who worked with our team as a reporter on Law Firm Inc. a few years back,and then did a stint at Forbes, has debuted "Three Minute Media," It is a web video news network, he explains.
* Jonathan Nystrom, executive v.p. of Cataphora, checks in to invite us to check out "The Digital You" software that the company is giving away. "Digital Mirror is a software app that allows you to examine your online interactions and relationships. Are they what you want and expect, or do you want to do something to improve them?" he asks.
August 8, 2010 in Web/Tech, Webinars, Podcasts, Programs, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
WOMEN CHEFS EVENT BENEFITS SHAREI turn the microphone over to Roberta Gelb, longtime member of the Law Technology News Editorial Advisory Board, and the principal of Chelsea Office Systems in New York City:
The breast cancer organization, SHARE, is having a major fund
raiser, The Women Chefs Event and it is wonderful – fabulous venue (Pier
60 – great view of the Hudson) and delicious food. Here’s the link . The lobster rolls from Pearl Oyster Bar are worth the admission. September 20, 2010, 7 pm.
August 8, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
UPHILL CLIMB
With an
approximate revenue of $2.8 billion in 2009, e-discovery vendors are
slowly but steadily moving uphill again, report Minnesota consultants George
Socha and Thomas Gelbmann, in their 2010 survey of EDD trends and developments.
Unlike the logrithmic rabbit leaps of the past, current growth is more tortoise-like, at the rate of 10% to 15% per year, they note in their August LTN cover story, "Climbing Back."
And in our Law Technology Now August podcast, I interview Socha and Gelbmann about the "why" of these trends, from the perspectives of law firms, law departments, and providers.
August 6, 2010 in EDD: E-Discovery, Podcasts | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
Somehow, I was not the least bit surprised that Jo Haraf's retirement lasted about five minutes. She has way too much energy to be happy in a rocking chair.
Formerly the CIO of Morrison & Foerster, she has launched Haraf Professional Services, where she helps professional services firms recognize immediate and long-term benefits from improved staff, project, and IT portfolio management. She currently spends a good chunk of her consulting time as a "client advocate" for LexisNexis, canvassing her CIO peers and bringing their issues to the company's attention.
Earlier this week, while on my "suicide prevention" vacation to California to escape NYC's brutal heat and humidity, I had a chance to catch up with Haraf at the Market Bar at the bustling San Francisco Ferry Building plaza at the Embarcadero. (I'm amazed at how the area has changed since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake forced the demolition of the 480 freeway. Once exposed to the sun, the dark, dank, waterfront has blossomed into a city treasure!)
We had a great conversation about innovation and what lawyers can learn from other industries. I suspect you'll hear more about this theme in the near future.
And right now, Haraf offers her witty insight into how CIOs can convince resistant law firm leaders to adopt project management protocols. A longtime member of Law Technology News' Editorial Advisory Board, Haraf urges you to not give up, in "Slow Growth," from LTN's August issue.
August 6, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
MONEY, HONEY!
While we don't generally cover individual vendor's revenue reports in Law Technology News' print edition, our EDD Update blog is a great place to discuss money! So feel free to send your revenue reports to eddupdate@alm.com.
Here's our post about the latest metrics from Guidance Software, with, of course good news:
• Q2 2010 revenue increased 38% over Q2 2009
• Q2 2010 product revenue increased 61% over Q2 2009
• Q2 2010 non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.03
• Raises 2010 financial outlook for the second time this year.
For context, check out the August LTN cover story, "Climbing Back," by Minnesota consultants George Socha and Thomas Gelbmann, discussing their 2010 EDD survey.
More: The Common Scold.
August 5, 2010 in From the current issue of LTN | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
SAD NEWS: EUGENE ANDERSON
Eugene Anderson, of New York-based Anderson Kill & Olick, passed away on July 30, after complications arising from pneumonia. He is being remembered this week by many in our legal community.
Anderson founded the firm in 1969, and was dubbed by BusinessWeek as "the dean of policyholder's attorneys," because he pioneered influential approaches to insurance coverage litigation on behalf of policyholders, says the firm. He was also was heavily involved in pro bono activities, and mentored "dozens of the nation's leading policyholder's attorneys," says the firm.
Babs Deacon, now director of consulting with Integreon, worked with him for four years. "Gene was an amazing lawyer, a pioneer in Insurance coverage law but also in legal automation. He realized that if his firm was going up against the same insurance firms, case after case, he should gather as much information about them as possible," she recalls. "He started a process, 20 years ago, to index and scan all insurance policies, expert witness testimony, etc." He created a special group at the firm to handle the tasks, and even stored insurance company ads from magazines, she recalls.
She recalls one particular trial: Anderson Kill represented a company that owned a used tire dump that had burned down, and St. Paul Insurance had refused to pay on the policy. So the team went into the database and found an advertisement that St. Paul had run -- that featured a tire dump, and extolled the virtues of its great coverage.
"The Anderson Kill team showed the ad to the jury. Victory!"
August 3, 2010 in Good Works, People | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
REBOUND?
The Cowen Group has released its Q2 Critical Trends Survey, which polled 85 law firms and 33 corporations looking at workload and hiring plans. Among the highlights: 61% of firms reported a Q2 increase in the number of hours worked by their litigation support department, 36% of firms plan to add litigation support personnel between August and October, 27% of firms have increased training budgets, and 31% have increased budgets for technology purchases.
E-discovery concerns hover around Microsoft SharePoint, cloud computing, and legal project management.
August 2, 2010 in Surveys | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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