FRENETIC PACE

The last couple days have been nonstop, so I apologize for the delay in posting!

Friday, I was honored to be invited to speak on a panel at the ABA's Labor & Employment Law section's Technology in the Practice & Workplace Committee's midwinter meeting, held at (and cosponsored by) the Center for Labor and Employment Law at NYU Law School, and also co-sponsored by the NY State Bar Association's L&E Law section.

Our panel was divided into two components, and the fabulous Joshua Friedman, a New York solo who runs a "virtual" practice, and I shared the first half, focusing on the use of tech in the practice of law. We were followed by the highly entertaining and knowledgeable Darnley Stewart, a plaintiffs class action attorney for NY's Bernstein, Litowitz Berger & Grossman. Lloyd Chinn, of Proskauer Rose (NY) shared the panel with Stewart, and they focused on the use of tech in litigation.

Rhona Lyons, of Schuchat, Cook & Werner, handled moderating duties with aplomb!

It was a lively and fast-paced two hours, and I enjoyed the opportunity to speak to such a vibrant and attentive audience.

After the program, some NY-based bloggers gathered at Otto's -- across Washington Park, for a fabulous pizza feast and great conversation.  Our gang included Nicole Black, (left)  Eric Turkewitz , Andrew Bluestone, Imke Ratschko,  Scott Greenfield, et al. (The venue is terrific, with delicate subtle pizzas, and very thoughtful, non-invasive wait staff.)

Also joining us was Nicole's friend, Saira Rao, whose first novel, Chambermaid, a comic look at law firms, will be published shortly.

I'll post some more photos shortly!

Then it was off to Phoenix, for e-Sentio's 2007 CIO Retreat. We had a jam-packed day today, from 7 a.m. on (as I post this, at about 11 p.m., it's still going strong downstairs!)  I forgot how wonderful the Arizona Biltmore resort is (it's now managed by Hilton's Waldorf Astoria Collections group).

The event drew about 25 CIOs from across the country, including LTN edit board member Andy Jurcyzk, of Sonnenschein;  Luce Forward's Anne Marie Dufrense, and King & Spalding's Thomas Gaines, just to name a few. I especially enjoyed getting to know Cooley's Sherry LaLonde's wicked sense of humor, and the chance to meet Tony DeLoera, who was the author of the April IT@ Ice Miller LTN column. It warmed my heart to see Manatt's Betsy Reynolds on the attendee list, as she's been having some mighty health battles, and I was so happy to see her vibrant self.

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Venable's Malke Kramer, of Baltimore/D.C., especially when I discovered that she is also a die-hard Yankees fan. BTW: at LEAST two participants' laptops were on MLB game day sites during the final late afternoon session. I won't fib but I can tell you it involved Cubs and a Blue Jays. (The Yankees were traveling or it probably would have been four.)  Marty Metz (left) has jumped the chasm from vendor to firms, and now is at O'Melveny and Myers, it was great to see him. And I finally got to meet NY-based Eugene Stein, of White & Case, who absolutely everybody has been telling me I needed to drag to lunch in NYC.

I'm looking forward to more conversations and connections Tuesday. As organizer Yvonne Dornic keeps wisely reiterating, one of the values of this annual event is the oppty to create and nuture relationships! And of course, everyone is absolutely mesmerized by Clifford Chance's Anthony DeCerce's wardrobe choices, but that's one of those "What happens in Phoenix stays in Phoenix" things that I'll only discuss after at least one glass o' vino. (In vino, veritas.)

Today's discussions were incredibly interesting, and included industry standards, project management, disaster recovery/biz continuity, security and more. (We all agreed that the specifics of the discussions were confidential, to assure candor, but you will all benefit from them because I got so many ideas for story topics, and I have already annoyed participants with requests that they write for Law Technology News on many a topic!

Special thanks to Yvonne Dornic and her fabulous crew for the invitation to enjoy this brain trust! Time very well spent.

The hotel is a true treasure -- not, as many assume, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, but heavily influenced by him. The treat of the day was a tour of the architecture, especially the many pools.... which, unfortunately, I have not been able to take advantage of, so I guess I'll have to come back for another visit!

Here's some photos from today -- I'll no doubt have more tomorrow.