The Common Scold: LISTEN ... OR ELSE

About
The Common Scold

The Common Scold is named after a cause of action that originated in Pilgrim days, when meddlesome, argumentative, opinionated women who displeased the Puritan elders were punished by a brisk dunk in the local pond. Believe it or not, the tort lasted until 1972, when State v. Palendrano, 120 N.J. Super. 336, 293 A.2d 747 (N.J.Super.L., Jul 13, 1972) pretty much put it to rest. But the thought of those feisty women, not afraid of a little cold water, has always cheered me up and inspired me. I first used the moniker as the name of my humor column at the University of San Francisco School of Law many moons ago, and revive it now for this blawg!

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LISTEN ... OR ELSE

In honor of The Soprano's final season debut last night (which I missed and will watch when I get home on HBO On Demand) here's Larry Bodine's funny and pragmatic guide to why law firms should pay attention to Tony's marketing protocols.

April 9, 2007 in Law Firm Management, Marketing, Weblogs | Permalink

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High & Dry:
Headed to the beach? Don't let your laptop drown or you iPod get soggy! Check out the latest ways to keep your equipment waterproofed here.

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From the July issue of
Law Technology News.

July President's Corner: CT TyMetrix 360 version 10is billing softwarethat helps general counsel manage their outside counsel relationships. It includes support for alternative fee arrangements and invoice status rollback. The company's general manager, John Weber, says that the alternative fee arrangement templates help general counsel manage blended hourly rates, deal-based billings, fee caps, hourly rate discounts, task-based billing caps and, matter-based rates.

December '08:
Leading the Way: With the economy in crisis, leadership has never been more important. Why IT directors might want to learn more about the business side of their firm -- and maybe even get an MBA. Story here.

Ball in Your Court, by Craig Ball
2007 & 2008 TABBIES Gold Award, Best Column. 2008 ASBPE NE regional Gold winner, Best How To Article. 2007 ASBPE NE Regional Award, Silver, Best Contributed Column.

Click here for links to Ball's columns on our EDD Update blog (See right nav bar).

Web Watch, by Robert J. Ambrogi
2006 TABBIES:
Silver Award, Best Column:
Broken Promises
Podcasting

Technology on Trial
by Claire Duffett:

The Inside Job. (Oct. 07)
Clearing the Smoke. (Aug. 07)
Geoffrey Goes to Court. (Feb. 07)
A Frond Farewell. (Dec. 06)

2006 ASBPE Northeast
Silver, Best Column, Staff-Written:
Snow Job Doesn't Work (Tyco), by John Bringardner
Game Technology Wins the Day, by John Bringardner

Solutions Penalty Box:

Here are current contenders for the most use of incomprehensible jargon and cliches, including the banned word, "solution," in a press release. :)

MONICALOGUES:

June '08: Can You Adapt? EDD is wreaking havoc on traditional law firm caste systems, with new roles for attorneys, paralegals, IT and other litigation support staff. Opportunities abound for the ambitious.

October '07:
An Undercurrent of Fear: LTN's editor-in-chief, Monica Bay, reports on the challenges of e-discovery here.
Winner: Bronze, 2008 Tabbies -- Trade, Association, Business Publications International competition. Best Special Section category. Bronze, Best Technical Article, 2008 NE regional competition, American Society of Business Publication Editors, Best Technical Article category.

Katrina's Wake:
In the April '06 LTN, Monica Bay and photographer Russ Curtis travel to New Orleans, to report on the legal technology community's efforts to rebuild practices and lives post-Hurricane Katrina. Winner: 2007 TABBIES: Honorable Mention, Best Feature.

Fear Factor: Why Lawyers Aren't Using Technology. The ABA's most recent tech survey found that only 11.7% of the nation's lawyers are using ANY trial technology. We interview lawyers, vendors, and consultants to find out why, and the answers are shocking: lawyers are afraid of technology, don't understand it, and are overwhelmed by too many choices. Vendors take some of the blame by not educating lawyers about tech's potential. The dramatic conclusion: lawyers must embrace change, and adopt technology, or they simply will not survive in today's competitive marketplace.

Low Visibility: As law firms move toward a corporate, rather than private club, model of operations, they are bringing in "C-level" executives to help them run their organizations. Yet many law firms still cling to old-school caste systems, where only the attorneys have real power, and everybody else is invisible. What's the litmus test? Take a look at the firm websites. Can you search for the CIO? For the COO? For the HR director? If not, the firm may be paying only lip service to change. Savvy firms realize that if they want to keep top-level executives, they better start treating them like partners.

No solutions! We're determined to build bridges, not walls -- and to explain and demystify technology in our three magazines.

That means no jargon, no acronyms, and no "insider" gobbledygoop. Words like solution, robust, mission-critical, strategic planning, initiatives, deployment are just silly cliches that have become meaningless. We like plain English. Vendors! Flaks! If you mother doesn't understand your press release, don't send it out.

From Law Firm Inc.